Editorial
The train-bus tragedy in Kalihati
Level crossings must be better guarded
We are deeply saddened at the tragedy at a level crossing in Kalihati upazila of Tangail. The death of as many as seventeen people, with fears that the number may rise, as well as injuries suffered by scores of others, should now lead to serious thinking on railway track management. The dead and the injured were all on a bus which was hit by a speeding train in the late hours of the night. The accident, as has since been made clear, occurred because the guard on duty at the crossing simply went off to sleep. That only intensifies our sense of sorrow, for it was plain human error or irresponsibility that caused the misery.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, it becomes necessary to ask a few questions of the Bangladesh Railway authorities. Has there at all been a survey of the number of railway level crossings countrywide and of the way they are manned? The Kalihati accident was the result of a guard dropping off to sleep. But could such a situation not be true, now or earlier, at other level crossings as well? And have the railway authorities ever considered, in light of each new tragedy, the corrective measures which needed to be taken? It becomes necessary for Bangladesh Railway to rethink its entire infrastructure regarding the number of its employees, especially at level crossings, and the training and skills imparted to them before they take up their jobs. At the end of the day, it must be remembered, it is the guard at a level crossing on whom depends the ultimate safety of people both on trains and on vehicles nearby. How satisfying are their job conditions? We would like to know what system there is for guards at one crossing to relay information about an oncoming train to those at the next. Experience shows that our railway still depends on a rather archaic signalling system and is therefore yet to embrace the automated system in vogue nearly everywhere else in the world.
Our sympathies go out to the families of those killed in the tragedy; and our prayers are there for the salvation of the souls of those who have died. The unexpected nature of the accident raises the important question of what happened to earlier probes relating to railway accidents and whether any lessons have been learnt. Obviously, our experience here has not been encouraging. At this point, we suggest that adequate compensation be given to the families of those who have died as also those who have been injured. Besides, the BR authorities should from a moral sense come forward to bear the treatment costs of the injured on the ill-fated bus. Finally, it will not be too much to ask if anyone at the highest levels of authority is ready to take responsibility for the tragedy and do what good men always do.
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