Bangladesh Railway (BR) is yet to take adequate preparations to protect its hundreds of thousands of passengers against coronavirus.
Since coronavirus patients were detected in the country, BR has instructed all the railway stations to keep waiting rooms and toilets clean.
In a letter sent to the general managers of eastern and western zones, BR instructed them to ensure sufficient water, soap and handwash and maintain cleanliness surrounding all railway stations.
Leaflets with the message of Health Directorate suggesting wearing masks and washing hands etc were stuck at the stations and trains.
But passengers alleged that liquid soaps and sufficient flow of water etc are hardly available in the railway stations and running trains. Cleaning of trains at wash pit is hardly done after any train ends journey, they added.
Railway officials, however, said toilets in all stations and trains are regularly cleaned and all trains are properly 'water-washed or dry-washed'.
But they admitted that liquid soaps are not provided for passengers and no measures to kill germs are taken during washing.
"Our stationmasters provide soaps at waiting rooms. It is not possible to provide liquid soap as passengers often remove container's top," an official said.
Trains are washed on weekly off-day, he added.
Under the present circumstances, passengers said, the BR is yet to take any measures when cleanliness is a major concern.
"When hundreds of thousands of passengers use trains, one or two soaps are not sufficient. Actually, BR does not spend any penny on hygiene," said Shamsul Haque who commutes between Dhaka and Gazipur.
Refuting the allegations of stealing liquid soaps, he said there are railway staffers in all train compartments.
Though BR officials said toilets in all new trains have been improved with bio-system, it is available in two trains on Dhaka-Chattogram route.
In all trains, human excreta are discarded open in the traditional toilet system but bio-toilets evaporate waste through controlling bacteria.
