After practically throwing traffic off-track by holding ‘rail roko’ agitation for past two days, the agitating farmers on Thursday decided to extend the protest for another two days. Day 2 of protest witnessed cancellation of several trains, including lahore-Delhi Samjhauta Express.
Train and road traffic was hit in Punjab for the second day as thousands of farmers seeking higher compensation for crops damaged in whitefly attack continued their stir on Thursday.
Sources in the railways said that at least 113 trains were affected across Punjab, with 67 being cancelled and 23 others being diverted.
BKU (Ekta) secretary general Jagmohan Singh said that the “core committee meeting of farmers' unions decided to continue with their protest for the next two days”, that is October 9 and 10. The decision came after the talks between the Punjab government and agitating farmers failed.
“We are unhappy with the adamant approach of the Parkash Singh Badal government which did not even thought of holding talks with the protesting farmers,” he said.
Singh alleged that the Punjab government is “callous and unconcerned” with the problems of the farmers. “At least we should have been invited by the government for a talk, rather we have received inputs that the government will hold parleys with us after about two weeks," he said.
It has been learnt that the government authorities have a sought 15 days’ time from the farmer unions to fix their meeting with the Chief Minister. “Even after two days of ‘rail roko’ protest, the government is seeking 15 more days to fix up our meeting with the Chief Minister. This clearly shows their insensitive attitude towards our demands,” said BKU (Ugarahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri.
The protestors also indicated for going in for “indefinite protest as there has been no response from the government”.
“Some 4,000 agitating farmers were rounded up by police from across the state and later released,” Jagmohan Singh said.
However, police said that agitating peasants were "forcibly" lifted from the tracks at two places. Police lifted small gatherings of farmers which had blocked rail traffic in Jaito area of Bathinda and Chand area in Faridkot district, officials said, adding that with this two tracks Ferozepur-Abohar and Faridkot-Bathinda have been opened.
As many as eight farmers' organisations including BKU Ekta (Dakunda), BKU Ekta (Ugrahan), BKU (Krantikari), Kirti Kisan Union are participating in the agitation.
Commuters continued to face inconvenience as railway tracks were blocked at six places in the state. The Samjhauta Express was halted at the Wagah station in Pakistan in the afternoon on the request of Indian authorities as the Delhi-Attari train carrying over 200 passengers to the border station could not reach its destination due to farmers’ stir. later, the train was cancelled, leaving its passengers stranded.
The other cancelled trains include those linking Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ferozepur to New Delhi and Chandigarh besides Rajasthan and Bihar.
North Western Railways also cancelled five passengers' trains on Suratgarh-Punjab routes as a preventive measure in wake of farmers' agitation between Dabwali-Bagwali section, while 11 others were partially cancelled or diverted, said NWR DGM and CPRO Tarun Jain.
Railways said that the traffic was hit on Bathinda-Sirsa, Ganganagar-Ferozepur, Bathinda-Bikaner, ludhiana-Ferozepur, Bathinda-Patiala and Delhi-Mansa railway track due to the agitation.
Farmers are squatting on rail tracks at Mansa, Shergarh and Rampura area of Bathinda, Pathrala area of Muktsar, Dagru area of ludhiana and Mucchhal in Amritsar, Singh said adding that the lehra-Sunam state highway had also been blocked.
Protesters are up in arms against the ‘anti-farmer’ policies of the SAD-BJP government, which has been accused of paying inadequate compensation for the widespread loss to cotton crop due to the whitefly attack in the state.
The agitators are demanding Rs40,000 per acre compensation for farmers, whose crop got damaged by Whitefly attack, and Rs20,000 per family compensation for farm labour. They are also demanding Rs5 lakh financial assistance to the family of farmers who commit suicide.
Besides, they are demanding Rs4,500 per quintal rate for basmati PUSA 1509 variety, and Rs5,000 per quintal for basmati PUSA 1121 variety. In addition, they are also seeking payments of sugarcane dues by private mills and debt relief.