A parliamentary watchdog on Wednesday expressed concern over the repeated and frequent train accidents in the country, resulting in loss of lives and damage in state property.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways Ministry during its meeting told the government for taking stringent measures to avert recurrence of such accidents.
At least 30 passengers were injured after nine coaches of the Mymensingh-bound Bijoy Express went off the tracks near the Hasanpur station in Cumilla on Sunday.
Committee members, including Railways Minister Zillul Hakim, Shafiqul Islam Shimul, Saiful Islam, Shafiqur Rahman and Nurun Nahar Begum attended the meeting at Parliament Secretariat with its chairman ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury in the chair.
Meeting sources said the railways ministry placed its probe report on Wednesday over the recent accident in Cumilla. The report held some three to four teen-aged boys responsible for the accidents as they removed the nuts of the railway tracks, they said.
Expressing dismay over the report, the parliamentary standing committee decided to visit the accident spot on March 23 to unearth the real reasons behind the accident.
When asked, Shafiqur Rahman, elected from Rajshahi-2 constituency, told the Bangladesh Post that the body decided to visit the accident spot on March 23 to unearth the fact behind the mishap.
The watchdog also asked the ministry to take stiff steps so that no one can be able to unlock the nuts of the railway tracks in future, he said.
The body also told the ministry to come up with a detailed report over the land property of the ministry in the next meeting.
Another committee member also told the Bangladesh Post that the body told the ministry to come up with a detailed report over the land property of the ministry in the next meeting.
“How much land does the railways own and how it has been used? We want to know the actual information. That is why, we have asked them to come up with a detailed report in the next meeting,” said the member.
The watchdog also formed a three-member parliamentary sub-committee headed by Shafiqur Rahman to look into the suspended
construction work at Rajshahi Railway Station.
The two other members are Saiful Islam and Nurun Nahar Begum.
The meeting also asked the government to install closed-circuit cameras in front of the locomotive to unearth the reasons of accidents.
It advised the government for taking measures to introduce censor system so that the train automatically stops just before the accident.
The meeting also told the ministry to place a detailed report on the agreement with shohoj.com over the supply of machinery for online ticketing.
It asked the ministry to complete the rest of the work with the company within next two months.