Manpower crisis leading to closure of stations

Railway stations under the East Zone of Bangladesh Railway (BR) are being closed one after another due to an acute shortage of station masters.

According to official records, updated on January 28, 2016, the authorities have shut 46 stations completely since 2000, and 12 stations are being run for eight to 16 hours instead of 24 hours. And the latest closure of five stations came in January this year.

The East Zone has a total of 229 stations, including the closed ones, according to the traffic department of the zone, which covers Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions.

Such closure is also hampering the smooth operation of trains. While crossing the closed stations, the drivers have to maintain the speed limit at 16km per hour when the normal speed is 72kph, railway officials said.

The responsibility of a station master is crucial for ensuring smooth train operation, said Mokhlesur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Railway Station Masters and Employees Union.

“There has been a possibility of accidents due to the closure of stations as they give signals to trains that the way is clear,” he said. But there is none to make sure that the rail tracks have not been shifted, he added.

The drivers have to slow trains to avert accidents, said a high official of BR.

Mizanur Rahman, a driver of intercity trains, said it takes more time than usual to pass through the stations. “We have to remain more cautious during crossing the closed stations.”

Apart from revenue loss, resources of the closed stations are being damaged gradually due to a lack of maintenance, said some BR officials, wishing not to be named.

“If the closed stations can be reopened, the travel time will be reduced,” said Md Rokonuzzaman, additional chief operating superintendent of the East Zone.

Currently, there are 309 station masters in the zone against the sanctioned posts of 665, according to official records, updated in March 2016. Suspension of recruitment between 2006 and 2013 due to legal complications led to the manpower crisis, said railway sources.

According to them, recruitment had been suspended amid an allegation of irregularities since the authorities selected 81 people for the post of assistant station master in 2006 and later cancelled the recruitment process, they said. Later, when the authorities took an initiative to make fresh recruitments, 14 of the 81 selected candidates filed writ petitions with the High Court, which led to the suspension of the recruitment process, they added.

In 2014, the authorities, however, appointed 25 fresh assistant station masters, keeping the 81 posts of 2006 vacant, the sources said. Out of the 81 of 2006, the 14 petitioners were later appointed as per the court directive.

Ajoy Kumar Podder, chief personnel officer of the East Zone, said a process to recruit 270 assistant station masters was underway for both east and west zones.

On completion of the recruitment, the closed stations will be reopened gradually, said Mohammad Mokbul Ahammad, general manager of the East Zone.