Chandigarh, February 18
Farmers on Thursday sat on railway tracks at many places in Punjab and Haryana as part of the ‘rail roko’ protest against the Centre’s new farm laws, with officials stopping trains at stations as a precautionary measure.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest, last week had announced the nationwide rail blockade to press for its demand to repeal the legislations and had said that the agitation would be from noon to 4 pm.
In Punjab, protesters sat on tracks at many places on the Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar railway route, officials said.
Farmers blocked the Jalandhar Cantt-Jammu railway track in Jalandhar and in Mohali district also farmers blocked a rail track, they said.
In Haryana, protesting farmers, including women, squatted on rail tracks at many places, including in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Panchkula districts, the officials said.
On the Ambala-Delhi railway section, a group of farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union leader from Ambala, Gulab Singh, squatted on a rail track at Shahpur village, 2 kilometres from Ambala Cantt station.
“Our protest will continue in a peaceful manner till the farm laws are repealed,” Singh said.
Security has been tightened in both Haryana and Punjab with personnel of the Government Railway Police and the state police forces being deployed, officials said.
The Ferozepur division of the Northern Railways has decided to halt trains at stations so that passengers face less inconvenience during the ‘rail roko’ protest.
The officials said the movement of trains is likely to be delayed because of the farmers’ rail blockade. Train services would be resumed after following due security protocols once the agitation is over, they said.
In Haryana, besides railway police personnel, Haryana Police has deployed its staff in large numbers near the protest sites and at various railway stations.
Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala Division, GM Singh, said that no train had been cancelled in view of the ‘rail roko’ agitation.
Four trains were scheduled to pass from Ambala between noon and 4 pm, railway officials said.
Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) members would block railway tracks at 22 places, including at Nabha, Mansa, Barnala, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Jalandhar and Tarn Taran, in Punjab, the organisation’s general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said. — PTI
Officials stop Malwa Express at Phagwara and Super Express at Jalandhar Cantt
MOGA: Farmers staged protests on rail tracks at 50 locations falling under the Ferozepur railway division in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, said senior railway authorities.
Rajesh Aggarwal, divisional manager, said the farmers protested at 50 locations due to which the railway authorities stopped Malwa Express at Phagwara and Super Express at Jalandhar Cantonment.
Similarly, the trains were also stopped at Pathankot, Ludhiana, Barhi Brahman, Kathua and Vijaypur towns.
He said the trains were stopped at their stations of halt at noon, and would be regulated later in the evening.
The Dhanbad Express has been regulated from Ferozepur Cantonment railway station, Shaheed Express from Amritsar and Begampura train from Jammu Tawi railway station.
Aggarwal said the trains halted at various railway stations would be allowed to commence their journey after 4 pm by following all protocols of security.
No train has been cancelled or diverted from their original route, he clarified. TNS
Protesting farmers sit on rail tracks in Punjab, Haryana
{$excerpt:n}
