Family of passengers killed in train accidents get Tk 10,000 only

The country's railway authorities are bound to compensate families of the victims of the train accidents. However, the amount they are entitled to hardly covers their funeral cost or medical expenses.

The Article 82A of the Railways Act 1890 had set the compensation at Tk 10,000 only. But it is 2019, and Tk 10,000 in the year 1890 and the same amount in the present time certainly are not the same. The authorities did have plans to amend this last year, but no significant development has been seen.

Defining the liabilities of the authorities in any train accidents, the railway act seeks compensations on part of the railways in case of death, injury, destruction of goods and or injury of the accompanying passenger of a victim.

The reparation is received by the passenger with tickets, not for those falling victims on the railway lines due to car-train collision or other reasons.

A number of 400 passengers died in train accidents over 19 years, between 1998 and 2017, as per the railway statistics.

"Railway accidents are less in number while casualties too are small," a railway officer said on condition of anonimity. "Compensations could be increased as 16,000 billion taka has been allocated for the ministry of railways in the proposed new budget."

The 10,000 taka compensation was a large sum in comparison with the British era officials' salary as it was counted on per-handred basis, secreatary of Bangladesh Passengers' Welfare Association, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said. "Even one billion is not enough now," he said.

"Train fair has been doubled over the last decade, but passenger are not receiving services," he said observing, "The act should be amended."

Last Sunday, an inter-city train derailed in Moulvibazar's Kulaura upazila killing at least four passengers and injuring over 200. Earlier, in 2013, several hundreds sustained injuries and four were killed in a number of sabotages that included removal of railway fishplate during the strike of the BNP-Jamaat. In 2010, a head on collision between two trains killed twelve people including the driver of one of the locomatives at Narsingdi.

Many do not know about the compensation law while many do not claim it either due to the small amount, according to the railway officers.

Families were compensated with 100,000 taka each on a special arrangement by then president in 1989 after 81 people were killed in two separate accidents at Gazipur and Chattogram, as per the railway sources.

Former railway director general Md Amzad Hossain proposed to the ministry to compensate the family of the victim, dead or crippled, with Tk 350,000 and the injured with Tk 20,000-250,000.

The proposal, submitted on 20 May, reportedly drew examples of neighbouring India where US $5,768 compensation for death or crippling.

But the proposal has seen no progress so far.

Admitting that the compensation was actuallly inadequate, railways secretary Mofazzol Hossain said, "Immediate steps will be taken to increase the amount."