Govt arranges 8 trains for July Declaration announcement in Dhaka

The government has hired eight trains to bring students and people from outside Dhaka to attend a programme where the "July Declaration" will be unveiled on August 5.

Bangladesh Railway (BR) has already taken steps to operate eight special trains on eight routes that day, following a request from the Liberation War Affairs Ministry.

Railway will earn Tk 30.45 lakh from the services, transporting at least 5,200 passengers.

Railway Director General Afzal Hossain has confirmed the development to The Daily Star.

The interim government will formally unveil the "July Declaration" at a public event on Dhaka's Manik Mia Avenue around 5:00pm on August 5, sources at the Chief Adviser's Press Wing told The Daily Star.

The Directorate of July Mass Uprising on August 3 wrote to the Liberation War Affairs Ministry to take initiate for arranging trains so that people from across the country can join the July Declaration programme.

Mentioning eight routes, the directorate said the trains should start from pick-up destinations around 2:00/3:00pm and leave Dhaka around 9:00pm.

The routes are: Dhaka-Chattogram; Dhaka-Sylhet; Dhaka-Rajshahi; Dhaka-Rangpur; Dhaka-Gazipur; Dhaka-Narsingdi; Dhaka-Narayanganj; and Dhaka-Bhanga.

Upon receiving the letter, Liberation War Affairs Ministry on the same day, wrote to the Railways Ministry, shows document. Railway has already prepared schedules for the special trains.

Afzal Hossain said anyone can hire trains following due processes.

Asked whether operation of the eight special trains will affect normal services, he replied, "We will operate the special trains keeping the normal services intact."

During the previous Awami League government, the then ruling party would hire trains to bring people to its rallies in Dhaka and beyond.

After the Awami League government's fall last year, Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP's student wing, Chhatra Dal, also hired trains for a fixed fee to transport supporters to their rallies in the capital.