Syed Shemul Parvez :
The railway line has become a death trap across the country. It was seen on the spot that illegal shops and establishments have been set up on both sides of the lines.
As a result, rail incidents are going and taking lives now and then.
Despite occurring frequent incidents, the risky trade is going on out and out around the rail lines.
It is learned that most of the country’s 3,000 km of railways are unprotected. Authorities have failed to provide security to the people by spending thousands of crores of taka in a year on the development of railway.
According to the Accident Research Institute, 1,154 people were killed and 1,003 injured in 974 train accidents in the last six years; of which 786 are pedestrians. In 2021 alone, 105 people died in 99 accidents.
According to the media reports, at least 15 such accidents occurred and 18 people died of the throughout January in various districts, including Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Chapaiwabganj and Natore.
Experts believe that the death on the railway line is a planned massacre.
They urge to build a modern railway system to keep pace with the world.
Although there is a rule to keep at least 10 feet space on both sides of the railway line in the register, slum-shop-market has been formed along most of the lines of the country.
Eviction game goes on every few days, but no progress found yet.
As a result, lives are constantly falling and innumerable families are in danger. There are allegations that these illegal markets are run by local leaders and administration.
BUET Accident Research Institute Communi-cations Specialist and Director Prof. Md. Hadiuzzaman said that if local’s hats and markets were built on both sides of the railway, the railway would not be able to run at normal speed. These shops and markets have to be removed to build a modern railway.