Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Sunday issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks as to why it should not be directed to shut down all illegal level-crossings across the country in order to save the lives of the peoples.
At the same time, the court wanted to know in the rule to explain as to why the respondents should not be directed for fencing the legal level-crossings after identifying those, across the country.
Local Government Secretary, Road Transport and Highway Secretary and Director General of Bangladesh Railways are asked to submit a progress report in the court within three months mentioning the steps they have been taken for safe level-crossings.
The High Court Bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed in this regard.
Advocate Syeda Shahin Ara Laily, a Supreme Court lawyer, on November 24 last filed the petition with the High Court as public interest litigation.
Advocate Aklas Uddin Bhuiyan appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder stood for the State.
The petition said, “Two thirds of Railways level-crossings have no designated gatemen resulting in increased rail related fatalities. Compounding the problem is around a thousand unmarred illegal level-crossings across the country mostly constructed by different government bodies. The absence of vigilance at level-crossings has increased the member of rail fatalities most of which occur at level-crossings.”
“A total of 244 people died and 228 were injured in 235 Rail related fatalities in 2018, according to a BUET Accident Research Institute (ARI). According to Bangladesh Railways database prepared in August, 2018, only 466 gates among 1412 level-crossings have gate-keeper and 946 gates have no designated man,” also read the petition.
