78 risky points in the west

Railway police have identified at least 78 risky points on 1,550 kilometre rail network under its west zone to deal with the act of sabotage on trains and railway tracks by blockaders.
Abdur Rakib, additional superintendent of police (Bangladesh Railway-West Zone), said, "To avoid sabotage at these points during blockade and hartal days, 688 Ansar members have been deployed."
The zone's engineering department has put rail push trolleys on standby at 12 railway police stations to deal with any emergencies, railway police sources said.
Each trolley with four armed GRP (Government Railway Police) men will start from the base station at least one hour before the start of a scheduled passenger train to inspect the condition of tracks and inform the control room accordingly.
The risky points under 1,550 km rail network include Sarda, Ishwardi, Abdulpur and Horian on Rajshahi-Ishwardi route; Ansarbaria, Kotchandpur, Rupdia and Bejerdanga on Iswardi-Khulna route; Kalukhali, Boalmari and Pangsa on Poradah-Goalanda route; Bamondanga, Bonarpara, Gaibandha, Noldanga, Sonatola, Adomdighi and Bogra on Rangpur-Shantahar route; Mohendranagar, Kakina and Tushvandar on Lalmonirhat-Burimari route, and Joypurhat, Phulbari and Panchbibi on Khulna-Saidpur route.
"During the hartal and blockade days, Ansar members clustered together in small groups will patrol the tracks, maintaining a duty rota shift," Additional SP Rakib told The Daily Star yesterday.
They will inform the control room beforehand if any act of sabotage is spotted on railway tracks at 78 risky points, he said.
At least 35 cases were filed in connection with the sabotage on trains and tracks in the zone that left six people, including law enforcers, dead and scores injured, he added.
Ferdous Alam, general manager of BR (West Zone), said the railway sector was passing through the worst of times as it had never experienced such destructive activities in the past.
Necessary measures have been taken to foil any sabotage attempt on the establishments of railways, he added.
At least 35 subversive incidents were reported in the zone since the war crimes tribunal sentenced Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to death on February 28.