The phenomenon of ticketless rail traveling is not new in Bangladesh. Many people have escaped TC and traveled by train for days without a ticket. Railway revenue has been evaded for many years. A lot of people do not realize how unjust it is. And many others want to make amends for this injustice by paying fines for traveling without a ticket for an extended period of time.
Manik Bhuiyan (55), a resident of Brahmanbaria`s Akhaura Upazila, is one of them. He has traveled by train without a ticket many times. Finally, the Italian expatriate paid off his railway debt.
On Monday evening (February 26), he went to the ticket counter at Akhaura Railway Junction and paid Tk 10,000 to the mobile ticket collector (TC). This incident sparked a controversy in the Akhaura railway arena. Manik Bhuiyan is the son of Abdul Haque from Debagram in Akhaura Municipality.
According to relatives, Manik Bhuiyan has lived in Italy since 1997. Before going abroad, he used to trade aluminum goods in the market. He recently returned home after performing Hajj.
Jubo League leader Al-Amin, a Debagram resident who accompanied him to pay money on Monday evening, told reporters that Manik Bhuiyan used to travel to several places in the country on a regular basis, including Brahmanbaria and Bhairab, for business. He used to book rail tickets sometimes, but not always. He felt remorseful. He has now deposited a total of Tk 10,000 . In his opinion, he may be upfront by paying the money altogether.
