The railway ministry has decided to reward those who aid in the arrest of miscreants who tamper with railways under the guise of carrying out a blockade.
Railway Minister Mujibul Haque made the aforementioned announcement in a press briefing at Rail Bhaban yesterday at the end of an inter-ministrial meeting.
However, the minister did not mention the amount of the reward. He said: “The value of a reward depends on the situation. If anyone offers information as to when an anarchist will carry out an attack, the reward for this will be different than for one who catches the miscreants.”
Earlier, the Home ministry, police, and RAB declared a Tk1 lakh bounty for those who aid in the arrest of arsonists.
Hundreds of vehicles, including those belonging to law-enforcers, were attacked and set aflame during the ongoing blockade.
Blockade-related violence has killed at least 40 people within the last few weeks.
In reply to a question, the rail minister said: “We have already identified 1,041 vulnerable points among the 2,877km rail track, and have secured these point by deploying 8,340 Ansar members.”
“We have decided to deploy a further 400 Anser members to tighten security.”
He also said: “The schedule in place to patrol the railways has long since failed, but this problem will be solved within a short time.”
The BNP-led 20-party alliance has been enforcing a nationwide roads and waterways blockade since January 5, in protest of BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s confinement.
