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The Ministry of Railways is taking steps to recover 3,024 acres of land illegally occupied by encroachers across the country, as part of efforts to improve the management and utilisation of Bangladesh Railway’s land.
The ministry disclosed the information at the second meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Railways, held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Monday, with committee chairman Mohammad Ali Asgar in the chair.
Bangladesh Railway owns a total of 63,072 acres of land across the country, of which 3,024 acres have been illegally occupied, according to a report presented at the meeting.
The railway has leased out 25,083 acres of land, generating Tk 87.72 crore in revenue in the last fiscal year.
Under the land management rules, the ministry is pursuing the planned use of unused railway land through leasing and licensing. The process is ongoing, it said.
Bangladesh Railway has recently introduced railway estate management software to improve land management, facilitate the planned use of unused land and help recover illegally occupied properties.
Special committees will be formed in the Pakshi and Lalmonirhat divisions under the Western Zone’s Estate Department, led by divisional estate officers.
The committees will identify illegally occupied land within the next three months and take phased measures to remove unauthorised structures.
Special drives will also be conducted in coordination with district administrations and police to curb potential drug-related crimes on railway land in the Western Zone.
The meeting also discussed online railway ticket sales, measures to prevent irregularities in e-ticketing and steps to ensure transparency in the ticketing system.
On freight transportation, the ministry said container services are operating regularly on the Chattogram-Dhaka route, while fuel and food grains are also being transported to different destinations.
However, freight train operations have declined due to a shortage of metre-gauge locomotives.
The Development Project Proposal for procuring 30 metre-gauge locomotives has recently been approved, while a tender has been invited to procure another 30 locomotives approved earlier.
The procurement of 60 locomotives by 2029 is expected to increase freight train services for transporting containers, fuel, food grains and other goods.
The ministry also said 200 broad-gauge coaches would be added to the railway fleet in phases, with 18 coaches already delivered.
A decision on operating trains on the Mongla-Dhaka route will be made depending on the availability of broad-gauge coaches.
Technology company Shohoz.com currently manages Bangladesh Railway’s online ticket sales. Preparations are underway to invite a fresh tender for a new ticketing service provider before the existing contract expires in February next year.
State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges and Railways Habibur Rashid, committee members Abdul Muhit Talukder, Esrat Sultana Elen Bhutto and Muhammad Azizur Rahman, among others, attended the meeting.
