Editorial
Accidents at level crossings
These are quite avoidable
Accidents and deaths at railway level crossings have been on the rise of late. The latest being at Narayanganj on Monday morning. The accident was a usual train -truck collision at an 'unauthorised' level crossing, that left 3 dead and 75 hurt. Out of 26 railway crossings on Dhaka-Narayanganj route, 12 are unauthorized. It is beyond our comprehension how a level crossing could remain a casual affair.
That said, the physical conditions of the railway crossings and the way these are operated sound pathetic. Most of these are still not manned adequately and minimally equipped. Both the train on the track and the vehicle on the road were exposed to dangers of fatalities due to poor handling of the gatemen at these level crossings. Add to it, the trading activity alongside the railway tracks.
If the capital and its neighbourhood are in such a shape, we wonder how things work in the districts or rural areas. There the railway lines mostly run through crowded markets endangering lives of people.
Negligence of the signalmen and recklessness of the drivers of ill-fated vehicles that get rammed by the oncoming train are principal causes of such tragedies. Most of the time these mindless drivers gatecrash and land up right in front of the moving engines, resulting in deaths of not only the passengers, but also killing some of the hapless onlookers.
Overloading of passengers on the roofs and engines of trains, by a section of corrupt railway employees is also a major cause of such incidents.
It's time authorities took effective measures to stop this menace. Upgrading systems at the crossings, raising awareness among the people, capacity building of the guards including pay incentives and declaring certain area around the railway tracks off limits - could be a few more steps to minimize accidents.
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