Till today people cannot confortably move home from Dhaka on the occasion of their biggest Eid festival. Getting ticket before the Eid festival either in train or bus and even launch is a big challenge. We observed one very popular daily newspaper reported continuously what the government wants. A few days ago, it reported that people now get desired Eid ticket means e-ticket just by clicking on the internet. The other day it also reported that people now go by train with confort during the Eid holiday.But the reality is different, I wanted to try to get a e-ticket on 22nd June of Rajshahi from Dhaka. I logged on the computer around 8:30 AM but in the meantime, it showed all the mobile quota finished. The next day, I avoided my office bus and I hired an auto rickshaw and reached my office around 7:30 instead of 8:30 (as usual) to get the e-ticket starting from 8:00 AM.
More important, I did not buy any e-ticket last one month to confirm the Eid ticket as there is a bar that one cannot get ticket twice in a month by using a single account. Anyway, I did all process and ready to get the e-ticket just before 7:55. When I click it showed e-ticket will be sold 7:59. Then I tried continuously from 7:59 to till 8:30 to have a snigdha or s_chair e-ticket. But every time it showed mobile quota finished and I failed to get a ticket. Somehow, I could manage a ticket not on my desired date, however, not using the internet. Please see the actual state of of Eid trips by train which have appeared in newspapers.
I would like to draw the attention to our honourable Prime Minister, the rail minister and concerned authorities to ease the train trips.
There are a large number of people living in Dhaka and they move to their own district towns almost every weekend.
Double line rail can be constructed and commuter train service arranged so that they can live in adjacent districts instead of living Dhaka and a monthly round ticket can be introduced for them. The government must have had an rough idea of how may people are travelling to Dhaka from adjacent districts. Also return ticket can be introduced. Then rail minister on behalf of this government can say, this government has introduced double line to adjacent districts and a good number of people now do their office by living in outlying districts.
The railway authority can serve a form in the internet to have the data of train users and to get their opinion and this data can be updated once every year. Using this data government can introduce new services and arrange reschedule of the trains. Say, Silk city train starts for Rajshahi at 2:40 from Dhaka. So, we cannot catch the train as our office closes 5 PM. It would be better if it starts at 6:00 PM. So, we can catch the train easily and reach Rajshai before 11:00 PM. Same is the timing of the trip from Rajshahi, Silk city starts for Dhaka from Rajshai at 7:40 AM. It would be better if it starts at 5: 00 AM.
Railway authorities should have a research unit or cell. Educational institutions can be encouraged to study the subject and help find solutions.
Mawduda Hasnin
Rajshahi
