Md. Nur Islam Nayan, Dinajpur Correspondent : ABM Ziaur Rahman has been serving as station superintendent at Dinajpur Railway Station for the past seven years. However, several questions have been raised about his appointment process to this important gazette post. An inquiry in the concerned department revealed that no gazette, notification or written order was found regarding his appointment.
The nameplate at the station office also does not mention the word “in-charge”. However, according to the prevailing rules of Bangladesh Railway, especially the Railway Act, 1890 and GS/GR Rules, if someone is to serve in a gazette post for a long time, proper appointment, written order and approval are required. There is no scope for serving as an in-charge for years in this way in the relevant laws and rules.
Various railway officials were contacted to find out about this. COPS Ahsan Ullah Bhuiyan did not comment on the matter on his mobile phone and said, “(DTO) is looking into this matter.” Later, DTO in charge of Lalmonirhat Abdullah Al Mamun said on his mobile phone, “We investigated, we did not find anything.” However, when the investigation report was asked, he did not receive the phone call again. When attempts were made to contact the DRM of Lal Monir Hat division and Rajshahi-CCM, they could not be reached on their mobile phones.
Multiple sources related to Dinajpur Railway are claiming that there are irregularities and lack of transparency in various activities including shop allocation, goods booking, traffic signaling, overtime bills at Dinajpur Railway Station. There are allegations that irregular money transactions are being made in the allocation of shops, and in addition to permanent manpower, contract workers are being used to perform the main duties.
Every year, a budget of lakhs of taka is allocated for station development, maintenance, security and other sectors. But local passengers complain that the station’s roof is dilapidated, there is no water on the platform, the lights do not work, and the toilets are unusable. The question of ordinary passengers is where is this budget being spent?
There are allegations that the station’s management documents have not been provided despite being requested several times under the Right to Information Act. Some say, “File missing”, some say, “Not in the archive”.
According to the existing law of Bangladesh Railways and the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention, it is against the policy for an officer to stay in the same workplace for more than three years. In addition, there is no opportunity to perform long-term duties without permission in a gazetted position. However, locals complain that this rule was not followed at Dinajpur Railway Station.
In this regard, some local businessmen and passengers say, “There is no quality of service at the station. If you complain, you have to be harassed.” Some say, “He is not an officer, the owner of the station behaves like this.”
Concerned quarters have raised questions about the silence of officials at different levels of the railway and the lack of investigation. Their comments are based on evidence, testimony, and even video footage, but the lack of investigation and the tendency to not identify those responsible is a reflection of administrative inaction.
The allegation that a Grade 3 Station Master ABM Ziaur Rahman has been serving in an important position for seven years without a gazette order is questioning the effectiveness and accountability of not just one person but the entire railway administration. Dinajpur’s respected railway passengers now want to know, who will take effective steps to prevent these irregularities?
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