540km Rail Tracks in 8 Northern Districts
297 level crossings out of 415 have no gates or gatemen
A signboard at a level crossing in Lalmonirhat reads, “This level crossing has no gateman. Pedestrians and vehicles have to cross this point at their own risk. They are also bound to pay compensation in case of any mishap”.Photo: STAR
A staggering 297 of 415 level crossings on 540 kilometres rail tracks in eight northern districts under Lalmonirhat West Zone Railway Division have remained without gates and gatemen for a long time, exposing commuters and vehicles to accidents. Of the 297 risky crossings, 120 are on roads used by heavy vehicles. Permanent railway staffs work as gatemen at only 29 of the 118 'safe' level crossings while semi-skilled locals, recruited on daily-wage basis by the railway authorities, maintain 89 others, officials said. Of the 297 unsafe crossings, 44 are in Lalmonirhat district, 35 in Kurigram, 33 in Rangpur, 38 in Bogra, 46 in Dinajpur, 28 in Gaibandha, 37 in Panchagarh and 36 in Thakurgaon district. Fifty-one trains including 10 intercity, 10 mail and 28 local passenger trains and three goods carrying ones run through these crossings regularly. Officials of Lalmonirhat railway, however, said at least 111 of those unsafe level crossings are illegal as those were made when the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Zila Parishad and municipality authorities constructed roads across railway lines without taking permission of the railway authorities. The authorities concerned of LGED, RHD, Zila Parishad are yet to take necessary steps for these level crossings although they were served with letters on several occasions, said Lalmonirhat West Zone Railway Traffic Superintendent Syed Zahurul Islam. According to railway law, all the expenditures for setting up gates and recruiting gatemen are responsibilities of the departments that built the roads over the years, he said. In absence of gates and gatemen at the level crossings, quite a few accidents occurred due to carelessness of pedestrians and drivers recently. "It is essential to set up gates and recruit gatemen at least for the 120 level crossings on roads as vehicles move through those crossings round the clock," said Lalmonirhat West Zone Railway Divisional Engineer AFM Masudur Rahaman. "Setting up of gates and recruitment of gatemen have remained stalled due to fund constraint. My office has already send estimated project profile to higher authorities of Bangladesh Railway to set up gates and recruit gatemen for the highly risky 120 level crossings, but we are yet to get any response," he said.
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