Staff Reporter:
The Bangladesh Railway has refuted social media criticisms against its arrangement of special trains for Jamaat-e-Islami’s Saturday rally.
There is no political bias in reserving four pairs of trains for party activists to enter and leave the capital on Saturday, it said in a statement issued on Friday evening. The move is consistent with the Railway’s historic practice of supporting major gatherings of all political parties, it added.
Furthermore, denying the special facility would have forced potentially a huge number of Jamaat activists to use regular trains, creating major troubles for general passengers, the statement read.
Jamaat’s use of regular trains would have also curbed the Railway’s capacity to check tickets of all passengers on Saturday, significantly limiting revenue earnings.
In the absence of reserved trains, many Jamaat activists might themselves travel without tickets, fearing potential delays and chances of missing trains due to long queues at counters.
By allotting the special trains, the Railway has not only avoided potential revenue losses, but also secured the full Tk32 lakh in advance payment from Jamaat.
The special trains will also not impact general passengers’ smooth journey on Saturday, as relatively less passenger pressure is expected on the public holiday, the statement read.
Decisions taken in this regard purely serve commercial interests and are not linked to any political motive. The Railway will continue to extend similar services to all the political parties in the future, upon receiving the relevant request, the statement noted.
