Railway limps along on loss

Fragile rail tracks, left, and the ramshackle shuttle train, right, on CU-Chittagong city route stand testimony to the poor condition of the Railway. (File Photo). PHOTO: STAR

The situation is going from bad to worse due to poor passenger service and deplorable condition of trains.

The gigantic public organisation has been burdened with a loss of around Tk 15,000 crore accumulated during the last 33 years, Railway sources said.

In addition to this, different organisations owed nearly Tk 20,000 crore to the railway, amassed over the years for taking its services.

Organisations such as Chittagong Steel Mills, Adamjee Jute Mills and Amin Jute Mills' topped the list of defaulters followed by Food Department as they didn't pay arrears to railway for taking the facility of 'Siding Line.

The officials concerned are indifferent to realising the amount, but the most unfortunate thing is that it is the employees not the officials always face the music for this.

A large number of vacant posts at different railway tiers and 'unplanned' terminations in the name of golden handshake are also responsible for the situation, officials and trade union leaders said.

Shortage of staffs has already left at least 20 railway stations across the country, of which 13 are in the Chittagong region, inoperative for quite a long period.

"At least 10,000 posts are lying vacant till date and 4,000 important posts of way-men that are needed so badly for smooth functioning of the organisation have also fallen vacant," labour leader Siraj Ullah said.

Vacant also are 1,000 posts of stationmasters, over 250 of drivers (loco master) and 500 of security guards, he said.

He said Bangladesh Railway once had 65,000 permanent posts. "During Ershad regime it was reduced to 52,000 and BNP rule in 1991 it came down to 40,000, but now we have around 35,000 permanent posts," he said.

In such a situation, the justification of continuing the golden handshake or terminations of employees and workers have raised questions among many and this discontent may lead to an outburst of agitation anytime, sources added.

Railway employees and workers staged a series of demonstrations in the Central Railway Building (CRB) and the eastern zone headquarters in Chittagong, protesting the terminations.

At least 12,000 railway employees have been terminated so far under the golden handshake programme. There has not been any recruitment since 1986. Besides, about 2,000 employees go on retirement each year. And all these factors for years together have reduced the number of staffs to almost half.

About 5,000 employees more might have been served with the termination notices soon according to the suggestion of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that can fuel the general sentiment of the workers and employees, sources said.

Meanwhile, leaders of trade unions in this sector urged the government for positive approach, upgradation of services and modernisation of railway to make it a profitable organisation.