30 structures demolished

The district administration and Engineering Department of Bangladesh Railway here jointly removed 30 illegal structures from the western side of the rail tracks at Chandra level crossing in Jamalpur yesterday.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Rusel Sabrin led the drive following a train accident that killed six people at the level crossing on Wednesday.

The illegal structures (business set-ups) built on the western side of the level crossing on Fouzdari-Kampapur road has been preventing vehicles from seeing the trains for long, said Rezaul Haque, senior sub-assistant engineer of Bangladesh Railway in Jamalpur.

Moreover, there has been no gateman at the level crossing since 1984, said Rezaul.

A ghanti ghar (a room from where alarm bell is rung to warn people of an approaching train) has already been built at the level crossing and a gateman will be appointed there immediately, he said.

On Wednesday evening, six people were killed and another was injured when a battery-run auto-rickshaw was hit by a Dewanganj-bound train from Mymensingh at the level crossing.

The deceased were Sanuar Hossain, 28, Hossain Ali, 45,  Faridul Islam, 32, driver of auto-rickshaw Abdur Rahim, 45, of Kampapur area and Mir Hossain, 30, of Chandra area in Jamalpur municipality and Saleha Begum, 35, wife of Abdul Aziz of Shahbazpur village in Sadar upazila.

Injured Gulbox, 45, is now undergoing treatment at Jamalpur General Hospital.

Meanwhile, a three-member probe body, headed by the ADC, was formed to investigate the reason behind the accident and they have been asked to submit the report within seven days.