Train for Eid turns a farce

Questions were raised among Lalmonirhat people whether it was an Eid gift from the railway authorities or a joke after some newly installed compartments of Dhaka-bound intercity train Lalmoni Express became inoperative only two days after their introduction.

Sources at Lalmonirhat Railway Divisional Mechanical Engineer's Office said 14 newly installed coaches of Lalmoni Express started plying on Lalmonirhat-Dhaka route on June 6 and, all of a sudden, all the coaches became inoperative on the morning of June 8.

The 14 inoperative coaches, which were repaired at a cost of Tk 11.20 crore, are now lying abandoned at Lalmonirhat Railway Station, added the source.

Assistant Mechanical Engineer (AME) of Lalmonirhat Railway Division (west zone) Rabiul Islam said those 14 coaches, which got damaged long ago, were kept at Railway's Pahartali workshop in Chittagong in 1998.

Later, the damaged coaches were sent to railway's Saidpur workshop for repair this year and finally installed with Lalmoni Express on June 6, he said, adding that they became inoperative only two days after installation.

They will send all the 14 coaches to Saidpur workshop within a week for repair and will again install those with Lalmoni Express following decision from the authorities concerned, the officer said.

Aftabul Islam, 52, a businessman in Lalmonirhat town, said, “It cannot be a gift for the public but a complete joke from the railway authorities.”

“People were so happy when the rejected coaches were installed with Lalmoni Express as new ones on June 6,” added the businessman.

“Although Lalmonirhat is one of railway's divisional headquarters, it never gets new or modernised carriages due to unknown reason,” college teacher Abu Hasnat said.

The Director of Rangpur Group Robin Khan said they do not want to witness such joke again and neither see the railway divisional headquarter neglected anymore.

Lalmonirhat Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Nazmul Islam, however, said the 14 repaired coaches were run on trial but failed to fulfil the required demand.

Meanwhile, local people urged the ministry concerned to investigate the matter and take necessary steps in this regard.