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Railway plans to hire 5,000

Interim minister wants to check graft allegation in recruitment of 1,400

Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Railway has decided to hire 5,000 more at a time when an investigation is on into alleged corruption in the recruitment of 1,400 people in recent months.
"We will place advertisements [in newspapers] in this regard soon," said Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday at Railway Bhaban in the capital.
The recruitment is essential as the railway sector has fallen short of station masters, drivers and security guards, he
said adding a total of 146 stations were now closed due to a shortage of staff.
Quader, however, admitted that years of irregularities and misdeeds by a vicious circle inside the railway had crippled the sector.
The railway will continue limping along if the vicious circle cannot be resisted, he said but did not elaborate.
The minister said he had smelt a rat in the recent recruitment of 1,400 people. He had received complaints that recruitments were made in exchange for bribes. After the prime minister returns home [from Doha], a powerful committee will be formed to probe the irregularities, he said.
The rail authorities planned to recruit 7,200 class-Ill and -IV employees. Some 1,400 have already been recruited. The recruitment procedure has been suspended following a cash haul on April 9 involving the then railway minister's assistant personal secretary Omar Faruk Talukder, his driver and two railway officials.
The scandal led to the resignation of ruling Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta as railway minister.
Asked whether he would be able to break the cycle of corruption in the railway, Obaidul said he would try if given enough time. "I don't think I will discharge the additional responsibility of the railway ministry for a long period," he told reporters.
He was given the charge of the railway ministry when the railway's recruitment process became questionable.
The communications minister said he had been working hard though the gains were small. "I will work sincerely, ensuring transparency. And I want to make a good start for the railway," he added.
A separate committee will be formed to gather information about railway's land and properties and how much of them have already been taken by grabbers.
"I am surprised to know that thousands of acres of railway's lands were grabbed. The situation is grave in Feni and Chittagong," he said adding that in many places, people were trying to grab rail lines."
Earlier in the day, Quader held a meeting with senior railway officials at Railway Bhaban when they discussed issues, including manpower crisis and various development projects.
Railway Secretary Fazle Elahi, Director General Abu Taher and the general managers of railway's east and west zones attended the meetine.