Ishwardi rail station runs without station master for 15 months

Activities of Ishwardi Junction railway station, the largest railway junction of the country, is being hampered badly due to absence of a Station Superintendent for last 15 months. As a result, the overall functions including the observation and maintenance of the junction station is now being handled by the Station Master of Chatmohor, a third-grade railway station, as an additional duty.  

According to sources of Paksey Railway Divisional Office, a total of 32 trains comprising passenger trains and goods trains run through Ishwardi station daily. Station Superintendent is responsible for overall observations of the trains.

But, on April-24, 2019, Sation Superintendent of Ishwardi has been promoted and posted as Station Manager in Rajshahi leaving the post of Ishwardi Station Superintendent vacant. 

After his promotion, Aslam Uddin, Assistant Station Master of Ishurdi had been continuing the duty of Station Superintendent as an additional responsibility but he went on retirement from July-19 this year when Mahiul Islam, Station Master of Chatmohor, was given the charge of Station Master as an additional duty. 

According to station sources, the post of Station Master being vacant, railway officials and staff are working at the platform as their whim. There has been a stalemate in activities of the station. Some railway officials at the station informed, there having no Superintendent, Ticket Collectors, Booking Assistants, Parcel Assistants and other staff are failing to conduct their duty properly.   Various jobs like supplying a delayed train movement report to the concerned office in due time, keeping the environment of station tidy, announcing the time table of the train, supervising facilities of the passengers and the complaints etc. of the station are being hampered. 

An official of the Railway informed, there is no one to inform about the  arrival time of a train moving through this station and there is no one to direct about the place of shunting of the train engines.  Station Superintendent is responsible for overseeing these jobs. 

Shahidul Islam, Divisional Manager of Paksey Divisional Railway Office informed, promotion of posts of the railway remains suspended for the time being. 

The issue of not having a Station Superintendent in Ishwardi station has been informed to the higher authorities of the railway. He hoped a Station Superintendent should soon be posted at Ishwardi railway junction.