Trains movement badly hit in Punjab

Ludhiana/Hoshiarpur: Train services in Punjab were affected as farmers squatted on rail tracks at more than 50 places on Wednesday as part of their three-hour ‘Rail Roko’ pro-test to press the Centre to accept their various demands, including a legally binding minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The call for the ‘rail roko’ was given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said farmers blocked rail tracks at many places from 12 noon to 3 pm as both state and central governments had deliberately adopted an indifferent approach towards them. According to railway authorities of the Ferozepur division, 12 trains were cancelled, two each were short-terminated and short-originated and 34 trains were delayed because of farmers’ protest at 52 places. Among the trains cancelled were Jalandhar to Hoshiarpur, Amritsar to Qadian, Pathankot to Verka and Hoshiarpur to Jalandhar City.

Trains that were delayed were stopped at places where passengers could get tea and meals, the officials said. Protesting farmers blocked train routes at many places, including Moga, Faridkot, Kadian and Batala in Gurdaspur; Phil-laur in Jalandhar; Tanda, Dasuya, Mahilpur in Hoshiarpur; Makhu, Talwandi Bhai in Ferozepur; Sahnewal in Ludhiana; Shambhu in Patiala; Mohali; Sunam and Lehra in Sangrur, Rampura Phul in Bathinda and Devidaspura in Amritsar.

The Humsafar Express from Jammu to Sealdah, Dadar Express from Amritsar to Mumbai and Shan-e-Punjab Express from New Delhi to Amritsar were halt-ed at different platforms of the Ludhiana railway station. The Shatabdi Express coming from New Delhi for Amritsar was halted at Khanna railway station. In Hoshiarpur, farmers blocked the Jalandhar-Jammu rail track at railway sta-tions Bhangala, Dasuya, and Tanda.

They also blocked the rail-road crossing at Mandiala village and the Hoshi-arpur Railway Station on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur section, disrupting rail traf-fic in the area. Due to the rail blockade, a train from Jammu to Ahmedabad was halted at Mukerian Railway Station. Deepak Singh (25), a resident of Tarn Taran who was travelling with his wife, two children, and brother after visiting the Dera Baba Gur Bar Bhag Singh shrine in Una (Himachal Pradesh), was among the passengers who faced inconvenience due to the rail traffic disrup-tion. He said that he had been waiting for over two hours at Hoshiarpur railway station for the train to Jalandhar. Manoj Yadav (35), a mason from Chhattis-garh, currently residing in Narain Nagar, Hoshiarpur, also shared his ordeal. He was travelling with his wife and two children to Chhattisgarh.