A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking its directive on the government to give as compensation Tk 1 crore to the family of each of the 11 victims who died when a train rammed a microbus at a level crossing in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj on July 15.
Law and Life Foundation, a rights organisation, submitted the petition also requesting the HC to order the government to compensate Tk 10 lakh to each of the passengers who were injured in the accident.
Citing from the petition, the petitioner’s lawyer Barrister Humayun Kabir Pallab said that the accident took place due to the negligence who are responsible to ensure safety at the level crossing.
The lawyer also said that he prayed to the HC to direct the respondents to take necessary steps to close the country’s illegal level crossings and to stop carrying passengers on the roof of trains.
He also urged the HC to order the respondents to take necessary steps to deploy gatemen at all the level crossings across the country.
Secretary to the Railway Ministry, director general of Bangladesh Railway, secretary of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) ministry, and chief engineer of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) have been made respondents in the petition.
The HC may hold hearing on the petition on July 21, Barrister Pallab said.
