'Reopen railway branch line thru' Kulaura'

The railway authorities stopped the line on July 7 in 2002. Their lame excuse was that the line was not technically fit for plying trains.

Railway station sources said since establishment of Kulaura railway station in 1885, a large number of people were linked with the adjacent upazilas by train.

People of the then Assam used to travel through the line to Kolkata ( formerly Calcutta) as the line was connected with the then Assam-Bengal Railway. The railway line started functioning from Badarpur junction (now in Assam province in India) and ended at Chandpur in Bangladesh.

At that time, train communication was a very popular mode of communication due to lack of improved road communication system.

Kulaura got the status of junction because of the Kulaura-Sylhet branch line.

After partition of India in 1947,the 43-kilometre railway line from Badarpur junction to Shahbajpur on Badarpur - Kulaura main route was discontinued and Shabajpur- Kulaura line was turned into a branch line of former Pakistan Railway while Kulaura- Sylhet branch line became the main line.

The Kulaura- Shabajpur branch line was stopped on July 7 in 2002. Following the decision, six stations named Juri, Dakshnbhag, Kathaltoli, Baralekha, Muraul and Shahbajpur became inoperative resulting in immense sufferings of thousands of railway passengers. Train fare from Kulaura station to Shahbajpur station was Tk 12 only whereas its bus fare is Tk 60.

However, the railway authorities renovated Kulaura station building recently at a cost of Tk 4 crore without reopening the aforesaid branch line.

On contact, a railway official told this correspondent on condition of anonymity the line can be resumed by spending only Tk 2 crore as the line is still in good shape. He said it is possible only by replacing slippers and bringing stones from nearby areas.

Meanwhile, Kulaura station master Mohammed Ali said the inter-lock signaling system will start operation in his station within a few weeks. It will reduce the risk of accident to a great extent, he said. He said that the railway earnings will increase by reopening the branch line.

Eastern Railway engineer Mahbubul Haque Bakshi said the

Aforementioned branch line was not closed but suspended. There is no problem in its restarting, he said adding, the railway authorities are waiting for a ministerial decision to reopen the line, he said.

Kulaura Pourasabha chairman Kamal Ahmed said the Kulaura-Shahbajpur branch line was a profitable one. He demanded its reopening and revival of Kulaura

station as a junction.

Kulaura unit president of Sylhet Bibhag Unnyan

Parishad (Sylhet Division Development Council) Mukim Uddin Ahmed said his organisation is agitation for a long period for reopening of the line. The agitation will continue until realisation of demand, he said.