Occupied railway land to be identified and freed: Minister Rabiul

NILPHAMARI, Oct 14: Minister for Road Transport and Bridges and Railways Sheikh Rabiul Alam has said that railway land under occupation will be identified and freed. 

He said this while talking to journalists at noon on Tuesday after inspecting the Saidpur Railway Workshop in Nilphamari.

The railway minister said there are about 2,400 railway housing  in Saidpur. Of them, people live in about 900. There is no shortage of accommodation. Better houses can be rented outside at a lower cost than the rate at which rent is deducted for old buildings. For this reason, many are not interested in living in railway accommodation.

He said about 60 to 70 acres of railway land is under the occupation of the municipality. There is a dispute between the railway authorities and the municipality over the control of this land, which is largely in the legal process. 

“The matter was discussed at the meeting with the upazila nirbahi officer and other officials concerned. We want to use this land first for the needs of the railway and later for the needs of the state. The lands are being identified”, he said adding that the railway land under occupation will be identified and freed.

Minister Rabiul Alam said the elected government has come to power. Initiatives have been taken to bring about a radical change in Bangladesh Railway and make it passenger-friendly. Considering the tradition and necessity of rail travel, the scope of this sector needs to be expanded further. 

Mentioning the need to further improve the quality of coach repair at the workshop, the railway minister said there are some old machines here, which are of good quality. About 400 coaches are awaiting repair across the East and West zones of the railway. The matter of recruiting skilled artisans to repair these coaches and make them operational again is being considered.

Regarding the railway hospital, he said it is becoming difficult for the railway to run hospitals and ensure necessary services through doctors and nurses. The matter has been discussed with the Ministry of Health. Initiatives will be taken to run about nine railway hospitals in the country under joint management with the Ministry of Health.

Recalling the past tradition of the Saidpur Railway Workshop, the minister said this workshop once represented the country. The workshop was built between 1862 and 1870. The need for which it was established then still exists, and has in fact increased. But the workshop has not been developed accordingly.

He further said many parts needed for coach repair can be manufactured at this workshop. At one time, about 12,000 types of parts were made here. Now it has come down to 654 to 655. As a result, many of these parts have to be imported. There is scope to manufacture more parts at the workshop.
Railway State Minister Habibur Rashid, MP, and Secretary Md Fahimul Islam were also present at that  time.