The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), in a drive at the city's Kamalapur Railway Station on Tuesday, unearthed massive irregularities in ticketing of privately operated commuter train services.
The commission, in its hotline-106, received complaints that the passengers are bound to buy at least three tickets to have one seat at commuter train 'Mohua Express', operated between Dhaka and Mohanganj of Netrakona.
A five-member ACC enforcement team, led by assistant director Jasmin Akter, conducted the drive.
Initially, the ACC team in disguise, observed the ticketing process of four commuter trains under private management-Mohua Express, Titas Commuter, Rajshahi Commuter and Jamalpur Commuter.
Talking to passengers of those trains, the ACC team came to know that each passenger had to buy two to four tickets for traveling on a seat in a compartment. The ACC team was also told that a passenger had to pay Tk 15-20 in addition to the price of a ticket to travel without a seat or standing on their feet up in a compartment.
ACC sources said, though these privately-managed commuter trains are under the supervision of Bangladesh Railway (BR), the BR authority has no control over the ticketing process.
The private operators charge exorbitant price for a ticket and realise indiscriminately the money from them, inmates of the compartment of the privately-managed trains alleged. Besides it is also alleged that passengers get harassed by the train operators of they decline to pay the price for a ticket fixed by the private operators.
Currently, there are 40 trains operated by private companies in the country, BR data showed.
The anti-graft authority also found that the station manager and station master of Kamalapur Railway Station are aware of such irregularities but no action has been taken by them in this regard yet.
Meanwhile, the ACC team found that divisional railway manager (DRM) Shafiqur Rahman and divisional commercial officer (DCO) Shah Alam absent from their duties while trying to meet them in their respective offices when the drive was ongoing.
The commission will soon prepare a report on the drive and send it to the railway authority to take appropriate actions, said ACC public relations officer Arif Sadeq.
