Communications Minister Obaidul Quader visits Ishwardi Railway Station slaps rail staff

BANGLADESH NEWS

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader slapped a train attendant at Ishwardi Railway Station after he found poor service and irregularities in an intercity train service on Saturday.

The minister also cancelled the lease of Mahananda Express, which plies between Khulna and Chapainawabganj via Rajshahi, after fining unhygienic environment in its compartments.

Quader slapped Boloram Das after a passenger complained that the attendant the train had demanded extra fare though he got into the train with a ticket.

The minister visited the railway station around 10:15am following a complaint of poor service on the train, Sujit Kumar, divisional traffic officer of Railway Western Zone,

The minister also punished three railway staffs with transfer nd suspension orders on receiving a passenger’s complaint of anomalies and poor service, said Md Fardous Alam, general manager of Railway Western zone.

Immediate transfers were also ordered for Gazi Fardous Hassan, station master of Chatmohar rail station and Nasima Khanam, ticket master of Ishwardi station for selling tickets in black market while temporarily suspension went to Md Amirul Islam, an estate official of Pakshey Divisional office.

The minister said, “A few corrupted officials of railway are destroying this sector,” during his visit.

“Black marketing of tickets, fuel misappropriation, thieving of rail slippers and such other corruption are devouring the railway,” he said.

“I will take step against all the culprit officials and the corrupted will be punished. ACC will investigate them all,” the minister said.

Later, he also visited the illegal occupation in Pakshey divisional rail zone and asked its officials for taking steps to recover the illegally occupied lands in the division within a month, said Kiron Chandra Roy, divisional estate officer (DEO) of Pakshey divisional rail zone.

“There are 1800 acres of land in Pakshey and Ishwardi area of which 140 acres are illegally occupied,” the DEO said.

The minister then visited Pakshey Lalon Shah Bridge and asked its officials to submit an inquiry report on the irregularities of Toll plaza within 15 days to the ministry.

State minister for Science, Information and Communication Yafes Osman, Shamsur Rahman Sharif Dilu, lawmaker of Pabna-4 and high officials of railway and communication ministry accompanied the minister.

The minister’s visit ended with a public meeting on Pabna circuit house premises around 12:00pm.

“Three and half years of this government have gone away. We have to move forward and work instead of speaking.” the minister said.