The railway authorities concerned have made great hurdle to the expansion works of main road of the district by giving a lease without taking any opinion from the regarding sides.
Sources said Lalmonirhat engineering department of the railway gave the lease of 84-sft land, on which the room of DB road number 1 gate-man is situated, to one Lutfur Rahman for Tk4,536 annually.
Gaibandha Railways Station Master Md Abul Kasem said the lease appeal was approved without informing him while the place is being used for officials tasks as well as accommodation for three employees of the gate.
He appealed the authorities concerned to reconsider the lease.
Gaibandha Municipality Mayor Md Shamsul Alam said the DB road is lone passage to enter the town from seven upazilas of the district. The 24-foot road in width has remained just 18-foot at number 1 rail gate owing to unavailability of space, resulting a severe traffic jam seen there.
The mayor went on that the situation would be severe if shops are erected on the lease land.
Gaibandha Brahmaputra Sarak and Rail Setu Bastobaion central committee president advocate Ashraf Ali said the government has been considering to run ferry service on Balasighat from December and that is why expansion works of the Polasibari-Gaibandha-Balasighat road was going on full swing.
“In this situation, some corrupt railway officials have made the task difficult by approving the lease appeal of a piece of 84sft land near the rail gate,” the president continued.
When asked, Ahsan Jabir, divisional engineer of Lalmonirhat Railways, said the lease had been given through due process.
Local DC Md Ehsane Elahi said he was unaware of the lease. If it is true, a severe tailback would erupt in the district town.