Risky market between railway level crossings in Adamdighi
Adamdighi (Bogra) Correspondent :
Santahar of Adamdighi Upazila of Bogra is the largest junction of Bangladesh Railway Western Region Rajshahi. Since the junction station is in the middle of the city, there is a level crossing system since the time of railway construction.
Except for the movement of vehicles and vehicles through this level crossing, the level crossing and the internal area are permanently under the scope of section 144. But no one obeys that law.
It is known that in the beginning of 1980, two to four hawkers started sitting on both sides of the level crossing temporarily. At some point it becomes permanent. After this, the festival of occupying the place began.
A market of about two hundred illegal shops has developed in a short period of time. People outside Santahar can be heard questioning whether it is ‘a market within a railway or a railway within a market’.
Huge amount of money are collected from this illegal market in the names of station masters, railway police stations, railway security forces, party leaders and newsmen.
Meanwhile, although there is no law to use PDB’s electricity inside the railways, the connection receivers have been making a trade of lakhs of taka per month by illegally supplying electricity to those shops in the market from the two power connections in the PDB area. Besides, each shop position of 10/20 square feet area of this illegal market is sold and bought for Tk 5 to 10 lakh .
Only a handful of trains were plying when this illegal market was established.
At present the number of trains has increased by half a hundred.
A railway level crossing is just 100 meters away (to the north) after entering Santahar Junction Station. Inside this level crossing with meter gauge, broad gauge and dual gauge, there are about two hundred shops of various products on the top of the railway line and adjacent to the railway line.
The drivers of 48 trains currently plying up and down the Panchagarh, Chilahati and Lalmonirhat and Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi rail routes met with the tragedy while crossing the level crossing.\ In January this year, the railway higher authorities wrote to the station master, railway police station and security forces to evacuate the market inside Santahar railway level crossing. But yet to be evicted.
When asked about this, Station Master (Additional Charge) Habibur Rahman and Railway Police Officer Incharge Moktar Hossain said that no letter was received in this regard.
