In Lalmonirhat, men, women, and students from Kaliganj blocked the Burimari railway route demanding a stop for the Burimari Express train. The blockade took place at the Tushbandar Railway Station in Kaliganj upazila on Wednesday (February 12) at 9 AM, when they stopped a local train heading to Burimari. This caused a halt in train movement on this route until the blockade was lifted at 3:30 PM.
Locals shared that the intercity Burimari Express has been running between Lalmonirhat , Dhaka since its inception. After a series of protests, the railway authorities decided that the train would operate between Burimari Station – Dhaka. According to this decision, starting from February 15, the Burimari Express will travel between Burimari – Dhaka, with advance tickets available for purchase.
However, unexpectedly, the railway department stopped selling tickets and declared the train would not halt at Tushbandar Station. This decision angered locals. On Wednesday morning, they stopped a local train at Tushbandar Station blocked the railway line, halting all train services on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari route. The blockade was lifted at 3:30 PM.
Protesters, including Nazir Rahman Noman and Mizanur Rahman, stated that after waiting for a long time, they were finally able to catch the Burimari Express, tickets were being sold. But suddenly, a letter from the railway office announced the cancellation of the train’s stop. They called it a rash decision warned that if the decision wasn’t reversed ticket sales resumed, no trains would be allowed to pass through this route.
Inshan Islam Bappi expressed his frustration, saying that the train had previously been scheduled to stop at five upazilas in the district, but before it even started its journey, the Kaliganj residents were deprived of it. He questioned why the people of the upazila were being punished.
The in-charge of Tushbandar Railway Station, Ashrafuzzaman Apel, told Liberty News Local Representative that tickets for the Burimari Express train had been sold. However, suddenly, the railway authorities sent a letter to announce the suspension of ticket sales and the cancellation of the train stop. After hearing the news of the suspension of online ticket sales , cancellation of the stop, locals sat on the railway track. A local train heading to Burimari was also stranded at the station. As a result, train services on this route have been halted. The matter has been reported to the higher authorities.
LND/SAKIB
