Rail Services Hit, 150 Passenger Trains Cancelled As Farmers Continue 'Rail Roko' Protest In Punjab

Farmers in Punjab continued their 'Rail Roko' protest for the second day on Friday leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in Haryana and Punjab. Some farmers also blocked national highways.

A large group of farmers in Punjab blocked the Amritsar-Delhi railway track on Friday as they continued their 'Rail Roko' protest for the second consecutive day. Another group of farmers was seen blocking the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway in support of the protest. A police official told PTI that both sides of the highway were blocked and traffic was diverted on alternate routes. Meanwhile, members of the Azad Kisan Committee, Doaba, sat on a dharna at the local railway station in Hoshiarpur. The protesters are primarily demanding a financial package for the losses incurred in floods, a legal guarantee to MSP and a sweeping debt waiver, reported news agency PTI.

Several farmer groups, including the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Bharti Kisan Union (Krantikari), BKU (Ekta Azaad), Azaad Kisan Committee Doaba, BKU (Behramke), BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), and BKU (Chottu Ram), are participating in the protest.

Shobhan Chaudhuri, General Manager of Northern Railway, said around 90 mail express trains and 150 passenger trains have been cancelled so far.

"The movement of trains has been affected due to the farmers' protest in Punjab as they are sitting on the tracks. Around 90 mail express trains and 150 passenger trains have been cancelled so far. We are assessing the situation..." he said.

As per railway officials, the routes of several trains had to be diverted and some even got cancelled due to the agitation. Some trains were also being short-terminated as the protests continued to cause disruption for the people. Many passengers were left stranded in Punjab and Haryana due to this.

Protests were being staged at 17 places across the state including areas like Moga, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Sangrur, Patiala, Ferozepur, Bathinda, and Amritsar, PTI reported. The State President of the Azad Kisan Committee, Doaba, Harpal Singh Sangha, said that the protests will continue till Saturday. He added that if the demands are not met by that time then they will decide the next course of action, stated the PTI report.

Hundreds of railway passengers travelling to various destinations including Delhi, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were left stranded at the Ambala Cantonment Railway Station in Haryana on Thursday.

An elderly passenger who was travelling to Patna said, "The matter is between the Centre and the farmers. Why should passengers face harassment? Since yesterday, we have been waiting at the railway station, but there is no surety when our train will come."

Farmer leader Gurbachan Singh said the farmers want a Rs 50,000-crore flood relief package for north Indian states and MSP which aligns with the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report. While talking about the demands, he said that the farmers want theirs as well as the debts of the labourers to be waived off entirely. Their other demands include Rs 10 lakh and a government job in compensation to the kin of each farmer who lost their lives during the protests against the now-repealed three farm laws, reported PTI.