Railway to begin recruitment soon

Manpower shortage forced Bangladesh Railway (BR) to shut down more than 100 stations, Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan yesterday said, adding that they would recruit 10,000 to 12,000-strong manpower in the first phase.

"We hope to publish advertisement [for recruitment] within this month," Sujan said, adding, "We will be able to get rid of manpower shortage within two or three years."

Speaking at a programme at capital's Rail Bhaban, he said more than 100 stations of Bangladesh Railway remain shut down currently due to manpower crisis in the state-run transport agency.

He said they were working hard to give service to people but there is a huge shortage of railway infrastructure including rail tracks, which is holding them back.

Whenever they introduce new train, it causes more delay to rail operations and pose more security risks as most of the railway network is single-line, he said.

Schedule-related problem may not go until the construction of double-lines across the country, he added.

BR SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH WATERAID

BR yesterday signed an agreement with Water Aid to establish or renovate public toilets and carry on "horizontal learning programme" to improve water, sanitation and hygiene at railway stations.

BR's Director General Dhirendra Nath Mazumder and Hasin Jahan, country director of WaterAid Bangladesh, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Later, the minister inaugurated the programme.

Under the programme, WaterAid will renovate two public toilets at Kamalapur Railway Station and build at new public toilet in Airport Station in the capital.

Under the one-year pilot programme, a model would be developed through proper maintenance with money to be collected from toilets-users, officials said.

Besides, a guideline would be developed and good practices would be replicated in other public toilets of other railway stations, they added.

Railways Ministry Secretary Salim Reza said they would remodel and modernise 50 stations across the country within one year to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Dhirendra Nath, Hasin Jahan, BR general manager (east) Jahangir Hossain, ministry's joint secretary Atiqur Rahaman and expert Santanu Lahiri spoke the programme.