Two opposition parties protest hike in railway fares
The Bangladesh Railway has decided to stop rebating fares for passengers travelling over 100 kilometres from today, a move that will raise passenger train fares.
The National Democratic Front (NDF) toay (3 May) called for the withdrawal of the proposed increase in the train fare, terming the decision against public interest.
In a separate programme on the day, the Bangladesh Communist Party (CPB) also slammed the Bangladesh Railway's move, saying it is "illogical."
"Although the railway fare has risen, the wages of the workers have not increased. People are already suffering from high inflation. In such a situation, these whimsical decisions of the government are making people suffer more. Such anti-public interest decisions have alienated the government," Khalilur Rahman Khan, NDF vice-president, told a protest rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the afternoon.
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The Bangladesh Railway has decided to stop rebating fares for passengers travelling over 100 kilometres from today, a move that will raise passenger train fares.
Currently, a 20-30% rebate is given on travelling over 100km in line with a 1992 decision.
Earlier, the CPB also held a rally at Kamalapur Railway station premises and brought out a procession and paraded nearby areas to protest against the fare hike.
"Even if there is talk of modernising the railways in the name of big projects, it is not being utilised properly. Instead, the country's money is being siphoned off abroad," Mohammad Shah Alam, CPB president, told the rally.
"Life is becoming unbearable for people with the rise in loan defaulters' influence. The government not only guards the syndicates, but has become a part of them," he alleged.
Addressing the rally, CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said, "Waterways have been destroyed in a planned manner, while efforts are being made to benefit road syndicates and bus owners by increasing and compressing costs on the railways."
By increasing the rail fares, the way to increasing the bus fares is being opened, according to him.
He further said the Bangladesh Railway is recruiting people, although many posts have remained vacant.
On the contrary, an opportunity for looting crores of taka is being created for the private sector by privatising trains to the private sector, he also alleged.
The NDF leaders also demanded a solution to water, gas and electricity problems and denounced the alleged looting in the banking sector.
