Thousands of passengers, who travel from Kishoreganj railway station to different parts of the countryevery day, have to suffer a lot due to lack of toilet facilities.
As two out of three toilets of the station are often closed, the passengers especially the female ones are constantly suffering.
Kishoreganj railway station is registered under Bangladesh Railway’s Eastern Zone. Kishoreganj being an important district town, the railway station is constantly under huge passenger pressure.
There are toilets in the first and second class restrooms on the station premises and there is also a leased public toilet. The toilet in the first class restroom is of normal quality whereas the other two toilets are in dilapidated condition.
On the one hand, passengers are being deprived of emergency services. Due to the lack of toilets, excrement is left on the station yard and the stench is unbearable. As a result, passengers have to hold their breath.
At the monthly meeting of the District Law and Order Committee in February last year, the chairman of the meeting, Deputy Commissioner MdSarwarMurshed Chowdhury assigned the then Additional District Magistrate MdHabibur Rahman to look into the matter. He inspected the railway station and directed Station Master Rafiqul Islam to clean these toilets and take necessary steps to make them suitable for passengers’ use. However, due to the negligence of the railway authorities, two toilets have become unusable.
Babu, a resident of Kharampatti area of Kishoreganj district town said, “There is no minimum facility for passengers at Kishoreganj railway station. The public toilet has been closed for more than three years and the second class restroom toilet is always locked. Many people relieve themselves in the vicinity of the station and in the courtyard. As a result, the environment of the station area becomes heavy with a strong stench”.
Passengers waiting at the station Shahidullah, Chapal, Deepa, Soma, Zakia, Golap, Nazim Uddin and many others said that there is no toilet facility at the station.They urged the concerned authorities of the station to consider the situations of the passengers and take steps accordingly.
When asked MdJoynal Miah, Kishoreganj Railway Station Master about this on his mobile phone on Wednesday afternoon, he said that everything is clean and tidy.
However, visiting the station in person that evening, this correspondent found that the condition of one of the two 2nd class toilets was dilapidated. Whereas, the other was cleaned before the Maghribprayers,according to the cleaning staff of the station.
When Railway Station Master MdJoynal Mia was again asked about this on the mobile phone,he misbehaved at first, but later he apologized.He said there is no sweeper under KishoreganjRailway.We are in a manpower crisis, he added.
