News Desk: Railways minister Nurul Islam Sujan has said that if someone becomes a victim of accident on rail tracks the railway authorities are not responsible for it.

At an event on Monday, the minister said that trains did not hit anyone but other vehicles did hit trains coming from beyond the tracks.

He was inaugurating the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Mobile Railway Museum at the Gopalganj railway station.

According to Nurul Islam, as Section 144 always remains in force on the rail tracks none has any chance to get on them.

Even then, if other vehicles hit a train, the railway authorities are not responsible for it, he affirmed.

Trains, he went on to say, run on own tracks and other vehicles need to be cautious while going across the level crossings.

The minister also said that accidents were also disrupting the rail communication.

He further said that the authorities who made roads across tracks should take the responsibilities of guarding the level crossings while coordination among authorities was also necessary.

Fatal accidents at level crossings have become frequent in Bangladesh.

At least 219 people were killed in 116 level-crossing accidents in the country from 2020 till July 29, said a report of the Road Safety Foundation.

According to the report, about 80 per cent of the country’s level crossings are unsafe.

At least 11 people teachers and students of a coaching centre were killed and seven others injured as a train hit a microbus at an authorised level crossing in Khayachhara area of Mirsarai upazila in Chattogram on July 29 and the gatekeeper landed in jail for the accident.

SK