Dilapidated railway workshop

It is disquieting to note that the Carriage and Wagon Repair Workshop of Bangladesh Railway's East Zone has been in a ramshackle state for more than a decade. The poor condition of the repair shop seriously hinders routine maintenance of the coaches and freight train wagons of the country's most vital rail zone covering Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions. 

The workshop, according to a TDS report, has been running with antiquated machinery, most of which had outlived their lifespan and now are running with dwindling efficiency. The tin-roofed shops have large holes that let in rainwater pour into machinery, damaging them and waterlogging the workplace in the rainy season. Apart from these lacunae, the workshop is seriously understaffed. With its poor capacity, the workshop can only take care of two units (one coach) while the daily repair demand is five units. For the overall development of the workshop, a project titled 'Improvement of Pahartali Workshop' was taken up in 2007 but the project is yet to get rolling. 

We urge the government to take immediate action to expedite the improvement project. In Bangladesh, railway is a widely connected, rapid, safe, cheap and environment friendly transport system. Amid growing connectivity with neighbours, railway modernisation should be a priority. To capitalise on the strength of this vital mode of transportation we need to invest more in railway and build state of the art servicing centres for railway vehicles.