YET another accident at a railway level crossing occurred at an unmanned point at Chandgaon in the port city of Chittagong on Wednesday last where a train hit a minibus to cause death to 4 female garment workers on the spot, besides injuries to 10 others. Almost all national dailies carried the news of the event asking the most common question about public safety at all such railway crossings all over the country particularly where the railway authorities are not posting guards to avoid accidents.
Reports said the tragedy took place while a minibus carrying the workers was crossing the railway line at the outer signal point of Chandgaon railway station. The vehicle failed to move out of the railway tracks when a Chittagong bound train came to the spot from Dohazari and knocked the minibus. Many passengers and the driver jumped out of the vehicle before the train hit it and smashed. The driver was reportedly speaking through headphones and spot witnesses said he might have failed to hear the whistle of the upcoming train.
It appears the driver was visibly at fault because he should have been careful while passing the railway crossing. Moreover, speaking on a headphone is totally prohibited while driving but the driver did it in dire neglect to driving rules and functional discipline. Many similar accidents have so far happened because of drivers’ indifference to safety while driving and we can’t really understand why the government is not taking the issue seriously to punish such errant drivers. Their unions may be strong but why our leaders are so weak and human life should be so cheap remain unanswered questions.
But here the more relevant question is why the railway authorities failed to post a guard at that crossing. Reports said they are at odds as to who should pay the railway guard-whether the local government body or the railway itself. We are bewildered by the nature of the controversy and believe that railway bodies must ensure the safety of the track, since it runs the train. News report said the railway authorities have suspended the local stationmaster but we really fail to understand that if there is a controversy on who should pay the guard why the stationmaster should be held responsible, the railway pay masters must be in the dock. Moreover, when corruption, misuse of funds and misappropriation of railway properties are known to all why should a fund crisis exist and be a reason for not hiring guards to protect the crossings.
Bangladesh Railway has over 2,855 kilometers of long track and we are afraid as to how many more railway crossings have been left unguarded without a gateman to regulate traffic. Even Dhaka city has so many vulnerable crossings and the incidents of death are also reported in the media at such crossings. We strongly suggest that all railway crossings in the cities and across the country must be properly guarded to make the passengers’ traffic safe and public life secured, finding funds for paying guards must not be an inhibiting factor.
