25 railway level crossings turn into death traps

 
At least 25 illegal railway crossings out of a total 52 ones in 70 km of Shantahar-Lalmonirhat rail route in the district Bogura are without any gatemen or arrangement for stopping movement of vehicles and pedestrians during the passage of 18 trains in 24 hours and the rest of the 27 railway crossing have gatemen and vehicles stoppage arrangement.

In Bogura district there are 13 railway stations namely, Santahar, Adamdighi, Nashratpur,  Altafnagar, Talora, Panchpir, Kahaloo, Bogura, Gabtoli, Sukhanpukur, Syed Ahmed College, Valerpara and Sonatola, said sources of Bogra railway station source. The source added that out the 13 stations, two in Shantahar and Bogra are very big stations which are always crowded with thousands of passengers and different goods have been transported all over the country through the all stations. Of the 52 level crossings on the track between Shantahar to Sonatola stations under the Shantahar-Lalmonirhat section in Bogura, 27 crossings have safety measures as railway authorities arranged gatemen and cross-bars there, also added the source. 

The source also said that out the rest 25 others remain virtually open all the time, including during the passage of trains which are considered as death traps.  Three risky level railway crossings in Bogura town are the rail crossing at Celopara, Horibashor area and Azizul Haque College gate as large number of buses, trucks, micro-buses, three wheelers, and pedestrians including thousands of Schools and Colleges going students' daily pass through the crossings. Another level crossing at Puran Bogra near 24-megawatt power house remain vulnerable to accidents any time, said Atiya Haque, a local near the crossing and Animesh Paul, a student of Azizul Haque College who has to cross the level crossing several times daily.

Three risky level crossings between Shantahar and Adamdhigi, four between Talora and Kahaloo, Two between Kahaloo and Bogura, five between Bogura and Gabtoli, Three between Gabtoli and Shukanpukur, One between Shukanpukur and Sayeed Ahmed college station and of them 7 in urban, 18 rural areas. 

Talking with Professor Shahjahan Ali, Principal of Govt. Azizul Haque College, Bogura said that he has been passing his days with tension as thousands of students passing the unprotected railway crossing before the college and a managed a temporary gateman in the crossing so far Contacted, Sajedur Rahman Saju, Station Master of Bogura Station said that in the 70-km railway route in Bogura district, 25 railway crossing have no gatemen and safety measures at the time of the trains' movement. Out of 52 railway crossings in the district, 15 have no gatemen and 10 have no security measures at least to stop the vehicles crossing the route and only written-alarming speech is the only measures to stop the commuters, added the Station Master.

He added that the illegal railway crossings are situated in Govt. Azizul Haque College gate, Puran Bogura, Fapor, Koichor, Uttor Chelopara, Shabgram, Chelopara, Shondhabari, Gabtoli, Kahaloo, Shantahar and Sonatola.

The influential of the areas have been erected houses, schools, colleges and other structures after making railway crossings, he further added.

In-charge of Bogura Railway Station, Sub-Inspector of Bangladesh Railway Aminul Islam said that at least 71 persons faced unnatural death in the last 19 months and out of them, 38 were killed from the railway related accidents in 2021 and rest 33 were killed in 2022 and among the deceased at 70 present were killed in the railway crossings while passing the railway truck, some were killed while talking with the cell phones beside and on the railway truck and few made suicide by jumping on the railway truck.

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