Cattle train receives lukewarm response

Mon 19.07.2021 00:00

A compartment of the Bangladesh Railway “cattle train” that goes to the markets in Dhaka, where they are sold as sacrifices during Eid-ul-Azha. Photo: Star

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A compartment of the Bangladesh Railway “cattle train” that goes to the markets in Dhaka, where they are sold as sacrifices during Eid-ul-Azha. Photo: Star

A “cattle train” introduced by the Bangladesh Railway appears to be flat when only a single locomotive with 200 sacrificial animals set off for Dhaka on Saturday for Eid-ul-Azha.

Cattle dealers are not interested in the special rail service because road transport is more convenient despite the higher costs, according to various sources.

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“Most of the cattle dealers in the country’s northern and southern districts have been notified of the special train service through the local cattle departments, but their response has been quite poor,” said Md Nasir Uddin, a section clerk for the Bangladesh Railway, told The Daily Star.

The Bangladesh Railway made special arrangements for the transport of sacrificial animals to Dhaka between July 17th and 19th, but due to the low turnout, only a single train with 100 cows and 100 goats will likely make the journey this year.

“We may run more trains, however, if the number of pre-Eid orders increases,” Uddin said, adding that they were still asking the cattle dealers to use the service.

In addition, transporting cattle by rail is much cheaper than any other mode of transport, as a wagon with a capacity of at least 20 to 25 cattle costs only Tk 11,000.

“So it won’t cost more than about Tk 500 per cattle shipped from Chapainawabganj to Dhaka,” said Uddin.

After loading 80 cows in the Chapainawabganj station, another 100 goats were added to the Boral Bridge station in Vangura upazila in Pabna.

Previously, the train was loaded with 20 goats at Rajshahi station, where it was inaugurated by Mihir Kanti Guho, General Manager of the West Zone of the Bangladesh Railway.

“The train then left for Dhaka at 4:30 pm on Saturday and is likely to arrive in Dhaka at 3:30 am the next morning,” said Md Anwar Hossain, Divisional Transportation Officer of the Bangladesh Railway in Pakshey.

After talking to a number of cattle dealers, it turned out that they regard the special rail service as unnecessary trouble.

“We can load a truck with at least 15 cows directly from our farms and have the cattle delivered to our destination in Dhaka for around Tk 12,000,” said Md Shah Alom, a leading cattle dealer based in Pabna.

In the case of rail transport, the cattle first have to be delivered to the train station and then transported back to the huts after disembarking.

“That’s why we prefer road transport, even though rail is comparatively cheaper because it doesn’t offer the same benefits,” he added.

Similarly, Md Abdul Kader, a leading cattle dealer in the village of Haropara, Vangura, told The Daily Star that they are avoiding the rails because road transport is mostly hassle-free.

source https://thedailytradingnews.com/cattle-train-receives-lukewarm-response/