Bangladesh: Railway official suspended

Dhaka, Dec 14 (The New Age): Mohammad Zahirul Haque, the chief train controller of Bangladesh Railway, Dhaka has been suspended for providing wrong information to news media about rail communications.
He was suspended on Friday following an order issued by railways minister Mohammad Mazibul Hoque, said a press release.
The release issued by the ministry’s information officer Mohammad Shariful Alam said that even though railway service was normal all over the country, the chief train controller provided wrong information to media.
Divisional railway manager (Dhaka), Sardar Shahadat Ali, told New Age on Friday that after execution of war crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla Thursday night, trains were delayed for taking security measures. ‘But, we did not suspend service. It was just delayed.’
He said that most of the trains throughout the country still were running behind the schedule due to ongoing political unrest. ‘Some trains are leaving stations about four hours behind the schedule while some others about half an hour.’
An advance locomotive pilot system, in which a locomotive is sent to check the rail tracks, sleepers and other security facilities before an important train departs the station, has slowed down train movement, the official said.
‘A train normally runs with maximum speed of 80km, but at present a train is running with maximum speed of 40km and advance locomotives are running with maximum speed of 25km,’ he added.
Chittagong railway divisional officials said that all trains from Chittagong to other destinations also were delayed for security measures.