No waiting room, no water, no toilet

A large number of passengers travelling to different areas of the country from Bogura Railway Station have to suffer much due to lack of basic amenities like functional waiting rooms, drinking water and toilets.

Four intercity trains Lalmoni Express, Rangpur Express, Dolonchapa and Karatoa Express and six local and mail trains run via Bogura, carrying over 6,000 passengers from the important station daily, said officials.

But the station authorities provide hardly any service other than selling tickets, said the passengers.

Visiting the railway station around 10:45am on Saturday, this reporter found some 200 passengers waiting at the platform. 

“We have to suffer much as there is no waiting room and toilet for the passengers here,” said Lovely Begum, 38, waiting with family members for an hour to get a local train to go to Gaibandha.

“The authorities are earning from sale of tickets but they are least bothered about giving minimum facilities for the passengers. You can't imagine a station without waiting rooms, drinking water and toilets, even in our neighbouring country India,” said Minara Zaman, 20, another passenger of the station, waiting for going to Santahar station by train.

Bogura Stationmaster Benjarul Islam said, “We have four waiting rooms, including an air-conditioned one on the second floor and three others on the ground floor. But these are not kept open all the time as we have only one employee instead of three for maintaining the waiting rooms.”

Asked about the tube-wells and drinking water supply for passengers, he said the tube-wells got damaged nearly two years ago and the supply water tap broke six months ago.

“However, in any emergency circumstances we open the waiting rooms and let the passengers use the toilets meant for our staff,” said the stationmaster.

However, this reporter found all the waiting rooms locked during his visit to the station for three consecutive days.

Aslam Hossain, sub-assistant engineer (Work) of Bogura Railway Station, said, “I joined the station a year ago, but did not see any tube-well here. I saw two heads of tube-wells kept in our office storeroom. I heard drug addicts earlier stole tube-wells.”

He claimed that the railway authorities have arranged alternative drinking water service.

This reporter saw that the water supply tank had become a virtual garbage dumping place.

When asked about the matter, Aslam said, “Neither passengers nor station staff complained about this matter. If anyone complains, we will take steps to resolve the problem.”