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Download PDF The Bangladesh Railway (BR) authorities decided to install highly secured modern anti-vandal sleeper clips on rail tracks in theft-prone areas in the country.
The step was taken to prevent fatalities against the backdrop of the biggest ever theft of sleeper clips from rail tracks between Banani and Cantonment stations in the capital last week.
In the meantime, as an immediate preventive measure, the BR would temporarily weld regular sleeper clips that are currently in use on rail tracks running through some of the areas susceptible to theft.
Under this plan, the clips on the track between Banani and Cantonment stations, from where 3,510 clips were stolen, would be welded first.
Abul Kashem, chief of BR engineering department, told The Daily Star, “Thieves can easily remove the regular sleeper clips installed on railway tracks. On the contrary, the anti-vandal clips provide the highest protection for the rail tracks as these cannot be removed without special equipment.”
Anti-vandal clips have already been installed on some parts of rail tracks in theft-prone areas across the country to avert fatalities, he noted.
The Ashuganj to Shayestaganj line and the Ashuganj to Chittagong line via Akhaura and Comilla have been fitted with the modern clips, he added.
Kashem, however, said, “While a normal clip costs Tk 110, an anti-vandal clip would cost Tk 350.”
BR sources said 5,600 sleeper clips are used for installing 1,400 sleepers on a one-kilometre rail track. The state-owned Bangladesh Railway maintains 2,855 kilometres of rail tracks.
Belayet Hossain, director general (DG) of BR, told this correspondent yesterday, “Although it is much too costly to install the anti-vandal sleeper clips on the entire railway tracks, we are considering it seriously and will do it in future.”
“The anti-vandal sleeper clips are imported from the UK and the price is more than double the regular clips. However, considering the rising trend in clip theft, we are serious about installing the anti-vandal clips.”
Commenting on welding the existing clips, the DG said although welding the clips could safeguard the tracks, the measure cannot be applied everywhere as it would be difficult to remove these when the tracks need repair.
Sleeper clips would be welded on the track between Banani and Cantonment stations temporarily, he added.
Responding to a query, the DG said government approval is not required to install the anti-vandal clips and these would be imported when funds are available.
Meanwhile, railway police so far recovered 160 out of the 3,510 stolen sleeper clips and arrested 14 persons in this connection.
Police suspect involvement of railway personnel in the theft. The police also blamed negligence of duty by the BR employees who were assigned to patrol the rail tracks every 12 hours.
The BR authorities formed a three-member committee to probe the sleeper clips theft.
Engineer Abul Kashem, head of the committee, said, “We are investigating the allegation whether any railway personnel was involved in the theft and if anyone was negligent in their duties.”
SLEEPER CLIPS RECOVERY
Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Monday night recovered 251 more sleeper clips of rail tracks from a scrap shop in Tongi and arrested three people in this connection.
The arrestees are Sarwar Hossain, Sohel Miah and Badshah Miah.
Rab-1 officials said acting on the information obtained from the three, the clips were recovered from the scrap shop of Kashem Sikder at Ali Commissioner Market.
Earlier, railway police arrested 14 people and recovered 160 clips from the capital’s Banani and Gulshan areas.
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