GAZIPUR, Apr 26: People in Gazipur formed a human chain at Joydebpur Railway Junction to press home their 10-point demand including facilities for railway passengers on Saturday.
Leaders from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Party also participated in the human chain and staged a sit-in there expressing solidarity with the locals and anti-discrimination students.
They also demanded reinstatement of all intercity train stops at Joydebpur Railway Junction.
Md Shahiduzzaman, former vice-president of Gazipur Metropolitan unit BNP and president of the Nationalist Lawyers' Forum, Engineer Shamsul Haque, president of Gazipur Heritage and Development Organization, Siddiqur Rahman Sarkar, a central leader of the Jatiya Party, Taj Uddin Ahmed Taj, a leader of Jamaat's Business Forum, Professor MA Baten, general secretary of the Heritage and Development group and DUET student leader Rakibul Hasan, among others also spoke at the programme.
They said the number of passengers using Joydebpur Station has increased but the station's daily revenue has dropped from Tk 800,000 to Tk 300,000 over the past three years.
They also alleged that there is a plot to privatise the Turag Express train which operates between Gazipur and Dhaka.
They also threatened to go for a tougher movement if their demands are not met.
Located in the heart of the industrial and densely-populated Gazipur Metropolitan area-Joydebpur Station serves roughly one lakh passengers daily, with commuters traveling to Dhaka and other destinations.
As a result of a long-standing movement, the Railway Adviser inaugurated four pairs of trains between Gazipur and Dhaka on December 24 last year.
Before the inauguration, the adviser had assured solutions to various issues, including reinstating all train stops at Joydebpur, resumption of monthly ticket services and addressing other concerns.
Despite the resumption of monthly ticket services more than two months ago, passengers continue to face various hurdles.
Due to poor scheduling, the two newly launched trains have failed to serve passengers effectively.
Organisers said a revised timetable based on commuter demand has already been submitted, but no progress has been made on other demands despite repeated discussions with railway officials. �"UNB
