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Dilapidated Railway Museum reopens

Arun Bikash Dey
Bangladesh Railway Museum in Chittagong reopened on August 1 only for two hours for the public after fourteen months of its closure since May 2010.
The railway authorities closed the museum without any notice, causing suffering to the visitors.
Now the museum remains open to the visitors from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. Earlier, it remained open from 3:00pm to 6:00pm in summer while 3:00pm to 5:00pm in winter.
Bungalow of Bangladesh Railway east zone was made museum on December 15, 2003 under the initiative of the then director general Rezaul Karim, railway sources said.
The museum has been limping since its inception with three temporary staff. The dilapidated condition of the museum shows that none is here to take care of it for long.
The museum building has become risky for lack of renovation as the door and windows are decaying for negligence of the authorities.
Shaptarshi Barua, a visitor, said the museum could be an attractive tourist spot if it is properly maintained and exposed to the people at large.
She said there is no initiative by the high-ups to project Chittagong as a good tourist destination.
Sub-assistant engineer Golam Mostafa, in-charge of the museum, said they kept the museum closed on security reasons for about 14 months and have reopened following a verbal order of Divisional Railway Manager in Chittagong. The divisional manager assured them of taking measures for proper security and development, he added.
Mostafa said the local hoodlums chose the area for anti-social activities as the museum is situated in a desolate place. The criminals assault the museum staff if they
protest their anti-social activities. Three staff work here in three shifts, he said.
He said they have informed the higher authorities of the insufficient
number of staff and recommended for increasing security measures.
Yusuf Ali Mridha, general manager of Bangladesh Railway east zone, said he asked the officer
concerned to submit a report about the matter.
Tarun Kanti Bala, divisional railway engineer in Chittagong, said they have requested the authorities
concerned to construct a boundary wall, set up a check post at the entrance, renovate the museum building and fix fee for the visitors to run the museum properly.
Officer-in-Charge of Khulshi Police Station Abu Jafar Mohammad Omar Faruk said the railway has its own security men for providing security to its structures. He said the question of shortage of manpower is simply a lame excuse.
Bangladesh Railway Museum is situated in the Ambagan area under Khulshi Police Station on a hillock opposite to the Railway Workshop. The area of the museum is 4,394 square feet.
The museum has a rich collection of relics of railway equipment. The monograms of Eastern Bengal Railway and Bengal Railway of the British regime are in the museum. The BR monograms of 1972 and 1985 are also there.
It exhibits different equipments used in railway traffic department. Samples of guard belt, guard cap, fog signal, side lamp, gate lamp, telescope, lever spring point, steel sleeper, fish plate have also been displayed in the museum used by traffic department.
Samples of control fan panel, label base, control key, signal reverser, ark lever, point timing relay, control selector, control phone, key box, point indicator lamp, signal arm, point machine, analog telephone of the BR used by it's signal department are also displayed.
Samples of transmitter, alarm chain communication, carriage fan, table lamp, guard control switch, reading lamp and dynamo, alarm bell, engine governor, speedometre, horn, headlight are also displayed which are used by it's communication department.