Staff Correspondent

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Railways of the 13th National Parliament held its maiden meeting on Sunday ` at the Standing Committee room of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban, with Committee Chairman Mohammad Ali Asgar, MP, in the chair.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Railways and committee member Sheikh Rabiul Alam, MP; Minister of State for Railways and committee member Habibur Rashid, MP; along with committee members Md. Abdul Mohit Talukdar, MP; Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto, MP; Md. Abu Said Chand, MP; Md. Rabiul Awal, MP; Mu. Mizanur Rahman, MP; Muhammad Azizur Rahman, MP and Md. Golam Rabbani, MP.

At the outset, the proceedings commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by introductory exchanges between committee members and attending officials from the Parliament Secretariat and the Ministry of Railways.

 Chairman paid deep tribute to the martyrs of the War of Liberation. The committee also commemorated Proclaimer of Independence former President Ziaur Rahman, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and the martyrs of the July 2024 mass uprising, while expressing profound sympathy for those injured in the movement.

The Ministry presented a detailed briefing on the ongoing operations of the Ministry of Railways and Bangladesh Railway, including updates on the Railway Inspection Directorate and Container Company of Bangladesh Limited (CCBL), as well as the ministry's 180-day action plan aligned with the government's election manifesto.

To transform the railway sector from a loss-making enterprise into a profitable entity, the committee directed the ministry to increase the proportion of freight wagons relative to passenger carriages. 

The Secretary of the Ministry of Railways, Additional Secretary, Director General of Bangladesh Railway, and senior officials from the ministry and the Parliament Secretariat were present.