Touhidul Islam, a resident of Araihazar in Narayanganj, came to Kamalapur railway station in the capital on Sunday noon to collect advance train tickets for a Rngpur-bound train.

“I stood in a queue before the counter of Rangpur Express around 2:00pm.  I took my iftar there and passed a sleepless night in fear that anyone may take my serial. I even didn’t leave the queue for taking Sehri,” he said while talking to the Daily Sun.

He finally got four tickets around 12:00pm on Monday after 22 hours of waiting without food and sleep.

“I wanted to buy tickets for Rangpur, but I was offered with tickets till Chatmohor of Pabna station around 12:00pm. I sought AC ticket, but I got shovon class ticket,” he said.

He said he has to travel rest of the way using another mode of transport.

“Yet I am happy. At least I can enjoy the Eid with my near and dear ones in my village,” he added.

Like Touhidul, all other ticket-seekers who came to collect the advance tickets for April 29 for Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Joypurhat and some other trains bound to southern and western regions have gone through similar or worst experiences in Kamalapur.

They had to form a queue on Sunday in front of 23 counters of Kamalapur railway station and wait for the start of sales on the counters at 8:00am on Monday.

New Queues Formed on Monday for Collecting Tickets on Tuesday

Sales of advance tickets for most trains were completed within 1:00pm. The tickets of five to six other trains were sold out at 10: 30am.

Ticket-seekers who did not get tickets after waiting for 16-20 hours were seen forming queues in front of the ticket counters.

MSB Sartaj Ahmed who came from Malibagh was seen sitting on a mat along with several others in front of the counter of the Sundarban Express train.      “I will go to Khulna and I have to collect four AC tickets. That’s why we have formed the queue after completion of sales of today’s tickets. We’ve formed a new queue for collecting tickets tomorrow (Tuesday). I come with full preparations to stay in the station until collecting the tickets,” he said.

Md Aziz, a youth who stood in a queue before the ticket counter for Kurigram Express said, “I came to the station at 10:00pm last night. I was in 193 no serial. I could not sleep last night and I may not sleep in the night today.”

What the authorities say

When asked about the sufferings of ticket seekers, Farhad Ahmed, spokesperson for Sohoz.com, said, “Toady around 18 lakh people hit online to collect the train tickets in the first of opening online sales. All the tickets sold out within a minute. We could provide tickets to only 13,000 people hit online first. There is no biasness in selling tickets as there is an automatic queue management system in software.” He said the majority of the people who hit online to buy tickets are being deprived of it because of the fault of Sohoz.com, it is limitless of tickets.

Kamalapur railway station manager Mohammad Masud Sarawar said on an average, 4,000 people stand in a queue for collecting 400 tickets daily.

“Railway sells 56,000 tickets daily for intercity and local trains. Of the number, 27,700 tickets are being sold for Eid holidaymakers,” Masud said.

He also said Bangladesh Railway started the sales of tickets for two special trains.

Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said they have nothing to do with if anyone stands in the queue before the ticket counter for a long time for collecting tickets in the next day.

“We are selling tickets on counters as per our plan.  If anyone stands in the queue for the next day, what we can do. There is no complaint about the sale of tickets today,” he said after visiting Kamalapur railway station.

The BR opened sales of advance tickets for holiday markers on April 23. The advance tickets of April 28, 29, 30 and May 1 will be available on April 24, 25, 26 and 27 respectively.

BR is selling half of the advance tickets in the counters of five stations — Kamalapur, Tejgaon, Banani, Airport and Fulbaria Old rail stations — for holidaymakers of five destinations while the rest of half is being sold online through the software maintained by Sohoz.com.

Source: Sun Editorial