A different scene

Few people were seen there as employees and workers of 22 departments under seven divisions took "mass leave" to go to Rajshahi to lay a siege to the Western Zone head office of Bangladesh Railway to protest privatisation of railway.

The programme was announced earlier by a committee styled 'Sangram Parishad' (committee for movement) to protest the privatisation.

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It called upon all railway worker and employees to go to Rashahi to make its programme a "grand success".

In response, the workers and employees of Syedpur Railway Workshop took "mass leave" and left Syedpur in groups to attend the siege programme.

Out of the 3000 workers and employees, about 2000 applied for leave at a time, sources at the workshop told this correspondent during a visit. This constitutes 74 per cent of the total manpower of the workshop.

But Railway sources said only 10 per cent of the staff can take leave at a time as per law.

When contacted, the Divisional Superintendent at the workshop said those on leave took their leave legally but he did not specify the number.