Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries & Livestock, visited the site of the tragic train-bus collision in Cumilla, which claimed 12 lives. He arrived at the Padua Bazar railway crossing on Sunday (22 March) at 11:00 am and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.
After inspecting the site, the minister said plans would be made to install automatic gates at all railway crossings along the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. He added that this issue would be given priority in upcoming meetings.
He further noted that in other countries, these gates are modernised to close automatically when a train approaches. “Today’s accident happened because there was no gatekeeper at this crossing. If it had been automated, such a tragedy could have been avoided. We will make every effort to implement automatic systems at all railway gates along the highway as soon as possible,” he said.
The visit was attended by Cumilla City Corporation Administrator and General Secretary of Cumilla Metropolitan BNP, Yusuf Molla Tipu; Cumilla Zilla Parishad Administrator Md Mostak Mia; and Cumilla Deputy Commissioner Mu. Reza Hasan, among others.
Notably, at least 12 people were killed and 20 others injured after a mail train crashed into a bus that had driven onto a level crossing in Cumilla early Sunday.