Four railway stations on the Sylhet-Akhaura route have remained closed over the last four years due to shortage of manpower, including station masters, much to the sufferings for the passengers.
The four shut stations are Tilagaon and Bhatera stations in Kulaura upazila and Laskarpur and Itakhola stations in Habiganj district. Railway officials concerned said the authorities closed down the stations on March 17, 2009 mainly for station master shortage. The authorities, afterwards, were forced to appoint a station master in Tilagaon station following newspaper reports on the difficulties the passengers were undergoing for the closure of the stations.
But, three to four days into the appointment, the newly-posted station master was transferred to Shamsernagar station on deputation for the reason only known to the authorities. Earlier, the authorities transferred only recruited station master of Tilagaon station Motiur Rahman to Zinardi station creating the situation for shutting down the former station. Railway sources said Tilagaon station was established during British period for the benefits of the people living in the area where tea gardens of well-known company Duncan Brothers were located. The then government used to earn huge amount of revenue by running the grade-B station as it was used for transporting goods of the tea company. Locals said though Laskarpur, Itakhola and Bhatera stations surrounded by industrial units and tea gardens should be given importance, the stations have remained
closed and unguarded. Three posts of station masters have remained vacant in each of the stations.
In addition to that, closure of the stations forces many trains to complete crossings through other stations leading to collapse in train schedules and causing sufferings to the commuters. Talking to the UNB correspondent, local people said hundreds of commuters and passengers for whom trains are the only means of communication are now undergoing immense suffering for the closure of the stations. They said trains, including the local and inter-city ones, are now taking more than half an hour for every crossing. Apart from that, passengers bound for Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Akhaura cannot get information about train schedules, book goods and collect tickets.
Organised thieves are stealing valuable equipment from the stations as there is none to take care of the stations.
Contacted, Railway Traffic Inspector (TIC) Ataur Rahman and Station Master Muhidur Rahman of Kulaura Railway Junction admitted that the four stations have become dysfunctional for lack of manpower as recruitment to various types posts of BR has remained suspended for legal tangles. They said two masters instead of three have kept functional different stations including Noapara, Montola, Rashidpur, Sreemangal, Longla, Shamsernagar, Bhanugach, Baramchal, Maizgaon, Moglabazar and Shahzibazaar on the Akhaura-Sylhet route. Locals sought immediate intervention of the higher authorities in appointing required number of masters in the stations.
