Bangladesh Railway to gain pace after construction of Tongi-Bhairab double line

Construction work for Tongi-Bhairab double railway line is likely to start at the beginning of next fiscal year to facilitate smooth and faster train journey for the country’s eastern-zone passengers, as this section provides the passage for a host of trains to and from the capital.

After completion of the 62-kilometre double tracks, experts said, train- running time and the unusual halts at different rail stations will decrease. The tracks would also ensure comfortable train journey, cutting travel time by half an hour which is usually wasted during halt crossings.

Replying to a question, Railway Director General (DG) Md Belayet Hossain said, “Tender for the double rail tracks has already been floated and now it only needs approval of the ministries concerned for beginning the construction.”

The DG informed that the government would take up some projects to develop the rail tracks in the eastern-zone areas, especially in Mymensingh, Netrakona and Kishoreganj districts, replacing the old sleepers and stones so that the trains in these areas could pick up more speeds.

“We’re carrying out our efforts to improve the standard of railway service,” he said, adding that the railway manpower would be gradually increased to ensure the better service.

Railway Additional DG (operation) Quazi Asadullah said the number of passengers and railway incomes in both eastern and western zones were on the up at a higher rate this year than the previous years.

“Up to March 2009, both 27 percent of railway’s income from passengers and 28 percent of passengers’ number have increased compared to last year’s,” he said.

He pointed out that equal (26 percent) of both the railway’s income and passengers’ number increased in the eastern zone, while 31 percent of income and 29 percent of passengers increased in the western zone.

Asadullah further said that the government is keen on developing the railway infrastructure by increasing the number of engines and couches considering the passengers’ interest.

He underscored the need to build additional two rail tracks from Dhaka to Tongi junction and pressing more trains into operation on these routes to facilitate train run from eastern and western zones. “The existing number of trains is very few.”

When asked, the ADG said the construction of the double lines might begin from early next fiscal as the offices at the filed level have already been set up after the launch of the tendering process.

“The construction will need two or two and a half years to complete,” he said, adding that minimum half an hour would be saved from the train-running time after completion of the works.

Asadullah said the government plans to increase the number of trains for operation on the Dhaka-Chittagong route as another Inland Container Depot (ICD) is under consideration at Dhirashram near Tongi station.

Some railway experts said when the double rails would be set up, delay at crossing and trains’ running time would decrease and passengers would get more trains for safe travel by train. “On the double rail tracks, there is a less possibility of accidents taking place,” a senior official said.

Mujibur, an expatriate from Singapore who was travelling by a Bhairab-bound train from Dhaka, said if the government could establish the double lines from Tongi to Bhairab station, much more time could be saved for the passengers.

“People of eastern zone will take the train journey as their first choice if the authorities concerned establish double lines between Bhairab and Tongi. The Dhaka-bound trains from Sylhet, Chittagong, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali, Kishoreganj and Mymensingh pass through this line,” he said.

S: The Daily Star

Drama Serial Channel 21 on Ekushey TV

Drama Serial “Channel 21″ will be aired tonight at 9:30 pm on Ekushey TV. With the concept of Abdus Salam, the serial has bee written and directed by Masum Shahriar.

The plot zooms in on a news team working for Channel 21. The news at 7 on the channel is very popular for its bold reporting and style of presentation. Shaila Sharmin is the chief reporter. Known for her bravado, she is quite a star. Cameraman Wahid Reza is timid, but on duty, he is fearless. Preeti is the popular news presenter. Then there are the news producers, editor, technical hands and others. Starting with an issue between Shaila Sharmin and the news editor over airing a particular news, the play moves on with these characters in the newsroom of Channel 21.

The cast includes Jayanto Chattopadhyay, Richi Solaiman, Anisur Rahman Milon, Zakia Bari Mamo and others. A number of real TV reporters are also featured in the serial.

S: The Daily Star

1.25 lakh Bangladeshi workers see fresh hopein Bahrain

Around 1.25 lakh Bangladeshis working in Bahrain see a light of hope, as the Gulf country has decided to end the labour sponsorship system, which for long has been a way for employers to exploit foreign workers.

The new rule, which will take effect in August this year, will lead to a ‘more liberalised and dynamic’ labour market, allowing foreign workers to move from one employer to another without having to seek their sponsor’s permission, said Majeed al-Alawi, Bahrain’s minister of labour, on Tuesday.

Under the sponsorship system, employers retain passports of foreign workers and often do not allow them to change jobs, sometimes they do not even pay the workers or pay less than the promised wages. Due to the practice, some workers often flee their jobs and become illegal, losing their right to seek justice.

“Sponsorship is not humane. We think sponsorship is outdated,” Al Jazeera Online quoted al-Alawi on Thursday. “This will bring our laws into the 21st century,” al-Alawi added.

The decision, announced by the Gulf nation, marks a victory for human rights organisations, who have been criticising the controversial practice, citing instances of employers withholding pay and holding onto workers’ passports.

Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) also hailed Bahrain’s move, saying it will bring an end to the practices that caused in many cases sufferings to foreign workers including Bangladeshis.

“Workers will be able to find better jobs if they find their present jobs unsuitable, or if employers do not have jobs,” said Baira President Ghulam Mustafa.

Labour sponsorship system is existent in most of the Middle Eastern countries. Some countries however recently started thinking of scrapping it following criticisms from international human rights organisations.

Abdulla Al Derazi, secretary-general of Bahrain Human Rights Society, told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the decision was a ‘courageous step’.

“This is something that the Human Rights Society in Bahrain has been asking and pushing for because [the sponsorship system] contradicts international conventions on human rights,” he said.

“It will make a big difference. This will help migrant labourers to have more opportunities of better work, rather than being restricted by one sponsor who will control them all the time.”

Under the new system, the government will take over the responsibility for providing foreign employees with work permits issued for renewable periods of two years, Al Ahmed Randhi, chief executive of Bahrain’s labour market regulatory authority, told AFP.

Randhi said the system will help Bahrain ‘conform to international regulations and human rights norms’.

Foreigners make up about a half of Bahrain’s population of just more than a million people.

Many low wage jobs in oil rich Gulf nations are filled by foreign workers, whose residency permits are often linked to a sponsoring employer.

Bahrain will become the first Gulf Arab nation to end the sponsorship system, Al Jazeera reported.