Frequent accidents at the railway crossings have become a part of everyday life of the people living in the northern districts of the country.
The 540km railway track that crisscrosses the eight northern districts of the country under the Lalmonirhat West Zone Railway Division, has 525 level crossings.
According to the unofficial count, at least 305 of those level crossings do not have sufficient arrangements, like gates or gatekeepers, to prevent accidents.
Most of these unprotected crossings have been posing grave threats to people’s lives and properties for many years, mainly because the authorities concerned simply did not care or did not have enough manpower.
Jahedul Islam, a resident of the Chinipara village under Lalmonirhat municipality, said: “My mother was once hit by a train when she was crossing the Jail Road crossing. She lost both her legs. Many such accidents take place here. There is no gate or gateman. It is a busy place with hundreds of vehicles moving through it every day.”
Sixty-year-old Afzal Hossain from the Barakhata village in Lalmonirhat’s Hatibandha upazila said: “The motor car of our State Minister [for Primary and Mass Education] Motahar Hossain was once hit by a train. He was luckily unhurt but the accident injured his gunman, personal secretary, a local leader and a pedestrian. His car was badly damaged. That accident would not have occurred if there was a gate or gateman at the Barakhata level crossing.”
Mozibur Rahman, also from the Barakhata area, said crossing the intersection was risky as it was a busy intersection as all the trains that run on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari route pass through the crossing.
“Six people including a bus driver and his helper were killed in July 2006 at the Mondolerhat level crossing in the Lalmonirhat district township, when a train hit a passenger bus because there was no gate or gateman there,” Bulbul Ahmed, secretary of the Lalmonirhat district bus-minibus workers’ union, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Railway officials claimed that at least 102 of the 305 so-called “unsafe” level crossings were illegal because the various government authorities like Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the Zila Parishad and the local municipality constructed roads across the railway lines, without taking permission from the railway authorities.
Lalmonirhat West Zone Railway Divisional Engineer Asadul Haque said LGED, RHD and the Zila Parishad had not taken any necessary steps despite being repeatedly reminded.
According to railway law, the expenditure for setting up gates and recruiting gatemen is to be borne by the departments that built the roads across the railway lines, he said.
Lalmonirhat railway officials said permanent railway staff worked as gatemen at only 85 of the legal gates while local people and daily wage-earning labourers maintain 135 gates.
Lalmonirhat West Zone Railway Divisional Traffic Superintendent, Mostafizur Rahman, attributed accidents at some of the level crossings, in absence of gates and gatemen, to the carelessness of pedestrians and vehicle drivers.
Lalmonirhat West Zone Railway Divisional Manager Abdul Hai said: “It is essential to set up gates and recruit gatemen for at least 120 level crossings.”
“Setting up gates and recruiting gatemen has stalled due to fund constraints. My office has already sent an estimated project profile to higher authorities for 125 highly risky level crossings. But we have not got any response,” he said.
Of the 305 unsafe crossings, 25 are in Lalmonirhat, 30 in Kurigram, 45 in Rangpur, 55 in Bogra, 52 in Dinajpur, 36 in Gaibandha, 37 in Panchagarh and 25 in the Thakurgaon district.