Dhaka: Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB) will launch a 10-day ‘Rail Protection Campaign’ from 31 March demanding cuts to train fares, and for turning railways into a mass transportation system by checking corruption.

Leaders announced the programme at a discussion on rail sector at Mukti Bhaban in Dhaka on Sunday.

CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim, SPB general secretary Khalequzzaman, CPB general secretary Syed Abu Zafar Ahmed, Workers Party general secretary Saiful Haque, general secretary of Passengers Welfare Association Mozammel Haque and railway workers leader Atiqur Rahman, among others, spoke at the discussion.

Addressing the programme, CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim alleged that a plot is underway to undermine the railway sector as mode of mass transport and strengthening the private transport sector.

Considering the country’s socioeconomic aspects, he said, the railway sector should be strengthened and modernised.

The speakers said as per the advice of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB), there is a plan to paralyze the country’s railways sector in the name of making transport trade open.

They said Bangladesh Railway has recently hiked train fares in the name of reducing losses in the sector but there is no step to manage railway sector properly and cut down on corruption.

The communist leaders stressed the need for forging a strong movement against the recent train fare hike so that the authorities concerned are compelled to change their decision.