629 farmers in Gaibandha struggle as railway does not pay promised dues

More than 600 farmers in Fulchhari upazila under Gaibandha district are in dire straits due to promises remaining unfulfilled by the railway authorities. For over a decade, these farmers have not received the dues owed to them for their lands, which were acquired by the railway for a vital transportation project.

Back in 1996-97, the railway authorities obtained 145.73 acres of land from 629 farmers for constructing an 8.5-kilometre line from Balashi to Trimohani on the condition of paying rent annually. Under the agreement, the railway was supposed to pay rent to the farmers annually against the crops on their lands.

Initially, the railway kept its promise and paid around Tk4 crore in rent over the first 13 years. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when the railway department stopped paying rent for the last 13 years, leaving the farmers in terrible financial straits. The accumulated unpaid dues now stand at around Tk6 crore, according to sources concerned.

Chhuku Mia, a 65-year-old small farmer in the Balashi Ghat area, has been particularly affected. His entire 65-decimal farmland was crossed by the railway, and he was supposed to receive compensation for his crops. But for the last 13 years, he has not received any payments, despite lodging protests at various government offices. As a result, Chhuku Mia's family has now slipped into poverty. 

Sharing his plight with TBS, he said, "Now I do not have any land to cultivate. Now my family survives with the income of my two sons, who work as garment workers."

Chhuku Mia is not alone in his struggle. Mojibur Rahman Montu, who has lost all his land to erosion caused by the River Brahmaputra, has also not received any compensation from the railway for the past 13 years against 1.35 acres of his land that the railway has acquired. Similarly, Abdul Hamid, an elected member from Ward-7 in Fulchari's Kanchipara Union, claimed that some of his relatives are owed around Tk1.5 crore by the railway.

"Seven and a half bighas of land have been acquired for the railway line in Balashi Ghat alone. Bribes were demanded from us when we went to ask for our dues, and we coughed up the bribe. We have been to the DC's office in Gaibandha, and other offices in Lalmonirhat and Rajshahi, but nothing worked," Abdul Hamid stated.

Another affected farmer, Mofizar Haque Sarkar, whose four bighas of land in Balashi Ghat have been acquired by the railway, told TBS that he could not recover the rent dues despite many attempts on his part. "Attempts were also made by local dignitaries, but the officers did not listen to them. Not only that, no one is noticing how government resources are being wasted."

On a field-level visit, TBS found that hundreds of temporary residential houses have been built along the railway tracks, and the railway tracks themselves are in a state of disrepair. Valuable railway assets, including nuts, bolts, and sleepers, have gone missing, causing further wastage of government resources.

Additionally, it was found that train movement on the Tistamukh Ghat to Bonarpara station route was discontinued even before the Trimohani-Balashi Ghat section. Valuable resources, including railway assets worth around Tk100 crore, are being wasted on these closed routes, said railway sources.

Even 13 years ago, the railway ferries between Gaibandha and Jamalpur played a crucial role in transportation for both goods and passengers. This route served as a significant connection for thousands of people from various northern districts who needed to cross the River Brahmaputra by rail to reach the capital city, Dhaka. The affordability of river transportation made it an attractive option, leading to substantial business opportunities for businessmen who conducted transactions worth crores of taka on this route during that time.

The origin of this railway ferry service dates back to 1938, when the British government initiated the service on the Brahmaputra, connecting Tistamukh Ghat in Fulchhari, Gaibandha, with Bahadurabad Ghat in Dewanganj, Jamalpur, to facilitate transportation between the northern regions and Dhaka. A railway line was established from Bonarpara railway junction in Gaibandha to Tistamukh Ghat as part of this initiative.

However, after 1990, the Brahmaputra faced navigational challenges, prompting a shift in the ferry service's location within the Gaibandha section. The new location was Balashi Ghat, located a few kilometers away from Teestamukh Ghat in Fulchhari. To accommodate this change, 145.73 acres of land were temporarily acquired from local farmers, and an 8.5-kilometre railway track was constructed from Trimohani to Balashi.

According to the terms and conditions of the land acquisition agreement, the district agriculture department is responsible for determining the value of crops on the Trimohani-Balashi railway land and providing an estimate to the district administration every year. The dues of the farmers are supposed to be settled accordingly. 

However, the agriculture department claimed that it has not been asked for such information in recent years, and there seems to be a lack of communication and coordination between the railway authorities and the district administration.

Questioned on the issue, Khorshed Alam, deputy director of Gaibandha district agricultural extension office, said, "I joined here a few months ago. I do not know about any documents related to this." 

The Gaibandha district administration also stated that despite repeated requests, the railway authorities have not paid the rent arrears.

Meanwhile, Gaibandha District Land Acquisition Officer Md Mostafizur Rahman told TBS that the office had estimated Tk1.5 crore to be paid to the affected farmers of the Trimohani-Balashi railway line for the Bangla years of 1417, 1418, and 1419 and submitted the estimate to the railway authorities, but the railway did not clear the dues.

In response to the growing concerns, the railway authorities have claimed that the process of payment for outstanding dues and the removal of abandoned railways has begun. 

Ahsan Habib, an engineer in the Lalmonirhat region overseeing the Gaibandha railway, stated, "This route was in operation till 2015 to carry wagons. And passenger transport was in place till 2005. Earlier, we used to pay compensation to the affected farmers for this rail line every year. Farmers' dues for the past few years remain outstanding. We have asked the district administration for an estimate. Once this is done, the farmer will be paid through talking to the higher authorities."