RAJSHAHI: The West Zone of Bangladesh Railway has planned to turn its 26 stations into models through modernisation to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“We will modernise the stations at a cost of around Taka 150 crore,” said Mihir Kanti Guha, General Manager of the zone, adding the works are expected to be completed by December 16, the Great Victory Day, next.
He said the stations are-- Tangail, Jamtoil, Ullapara, Boral Bridge, Chatmohar, Natore, Santahar, Rangpur, Syedpur, Parbatipur, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, Dirajpur, Domar, Birampur, Joypurhat, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Bonarpara, Bogura, Khulna, Jessore, Poradaha, Chuadanga and Rajbari.The general manager also informed that the Office of the Chief Engineer has already finalised the list along with the plan of works and tender will be floated as soon as possible, reports BSS.
Mihir Guha said platform sheds of the stations will be expanded along with heightening of those for the sake of convenience of the passengers in general.
Double platforms will be constructed in the district town stations. Foot over bridges will also be constructed to establish connection between the two platforms.
Apart from this there will be separate toilets for the male and female passengers in each of the stations in addition to modern seating arrangements in the stations.
Earlier, Bangladesh Railway and WaterAid Bangladesh signed a deal under which the state-owned rail transport agency will get WaterAid’s technical support to improve water, sanitation and hygiene services for the passengers.
WaterAid will build public toilets at rail stations and develop the management of public sanitation facilities to ensure improved services for passengers and general people from February 2021 to January 2022.It will focus on the construction and management of public sanitation facilities at railway stations to ensure better services for passengers and general people.
Inclusive public toilets will be built outside the railway station to cater to the needs of women, men, children and persons with disability. The public toilets will have male and female chambers. Each female chamber will have a female attendant.
It will also support the horizontal learning among the railway staff to expand the public toilet and WASH services at other stations.
A daylong workshop titled “Horizontal Learning and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Model Railway Station and Overall Passengers Services Improvement” was held in Rajshahi early last month.
Around 100 persons including 50 station masters and other staff members joined the workshop.
The Bangladesh Railway under the Ministry of Railways organized the workshop in association with WaterAid discussing and devising ways and means on how to provide hygienic toilets for passengers.
