Locals in Sreemangal formed a human chain at the railway station yesterday demanding improvement of railway communication and implementation of an eight-point action plan.
The demands include launching special trains on the Sylhet–Dhaka and Sylhet–Cox’s Bazar routes, upgrading the Akhaura–Sylhet rail line to double track, repairing old rail tracks, and improving passenger services.
The program, organized by residents under the banner “Sreemangalbashi”, was held at the Sreemangal Railway Station platform around 11:00am.
It was presided over by Syed Nesar Ahmad, former senior journalist and now president of the Sreemangal branch of the Committee for Prevention of Corruption (DUPROC), and conducted by journalist Syed Shayed Ahmad.
Speakers, including former college teacher Rafi Ahmad Chowdhury, journalist Kawsar Iqbal, and civic leaders, said that authorities have long ignored calls to modernize the Sreemangal–Sylhet rail section, causing suffering for passengers and tourists.
They urged the government to take immediate steps to modernize transport networks to accelerate tourism and economic growth in the greater Sylhet region.
