Railway authority: Please punish the culprits
On June 5,2005 3.50 PM the computer monitor display at the ticket counter at Kamlapur railway station was showing "No Seats" on Dhaka-Chittagong bound "SUBARNA EXPRESS" which was scheduled to leave for Chittagong at 4.30PM that day. I was waiting in front of the counter hoping to find someone who would return his tickets due to cancellation of journey. Luckily, I got one at the eleventh hour. While I was standing at the counter, I reckoned that more than 50 people, looking for tickets, had to go back without it.
I was informed from the ticket counter that all tickets had been sold. However, inside the train, I found one 60 seats compartment "DHA"( bogie no. 5010) entirely empty. The attendant informed me that probably it was a mistake due to a computer software glitch. I was also told that everyday, there were some seats in each compartment that remained empty, though the monitor display showed "No Seats".
Now, if each seat cost 165Tk, the total loss adds up to Tk. 9900 per day! I ask, who will take the responsibility for this national loss? Is the railway authority and related ministry, concerned about this? Does the authority want to show "SUBARNA EXPRESS" as a losing venture to clear the way for re-privatisation of the train?
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