Chandigarh, January 4
On a call given by various farmer organisations, farmers today stopped trains at various places in the state. It was a joint call given by the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), Kisan Sangarsh Committee, Punjab, Bharti Kisan Union (Dakonda group), Punjab Kisan Union and Jameen Bachao Committee (Barnala).
Mr Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, a spokesman of these organisations, said trains were stopped between 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the Bathinda-Ambala-Delhi track, Amritsar-Derababa Nanak rail track, Sangrur-Hisar track, Bathinda-Delhi track, Bathinda-Ganganagar rail line and
Bathinda-Ferozepore rail link.
He said the government should resolve various issues of farmers by starting negotiations with farmer organisations. The land acquired for the Trident group near Barnala should be returned to farmers, all pending dues with regard to canal water charges and power bills
should be waived and the next of kin of each farmer, who committed suicide, should be given Rs 10 lakh compensation.
SANGRUR: As part of the “rail roko” agitation in support of their
demands, activists of various farmer organisations today blocked rail traffic at Sunam and Khudi Kalan village for two hours.
At Sunam railway station, a large number of farmers, led by BKU (Ugrahan) leaders, blocked traffic for two hours. Addressing
them, a leader said the state government had not fulfilled the long-standing demands of the farmers. He said the government had neither scrapped the notification, issued to acquire 376 acres of Dhaula, Fatehgarh Chhanna and Sangherra villages, near Barnala, for the Trident group by the government nor had waived the tubewell motors’ power bills due from the farmers for a period of more than four
years. He said the government had also not waived the debt of the farmers.
Mr Joginder Singh Ugrahan, state president of the BKU
(Ugrahan), said a large number of farmers, led by Mr Bukan Singh Sadowal, district president of the BKU (Ugrahan), today blocked rail traffic at Khudi Kalan village. The protesters were addressed among others by Mr Hardeep Singh Tallewal, state secretary (Organisation) of the BKU (Ugrahan); Mr Shingara Singh Mann and Mr Tarlok Singh Himmatpura, presidents of Bathinda and Moga districts, respectively.
Mansa/Bathinda: Protesting against forcible acquisition of the farmers’ land and seeking its restoration, activists of various farmer bodies today blocked rail traffic for a couple of hours here.
Addressing the protesters, the state president of the BKU (Ugraha), Mr Joginder Singh Ugraha, alleged that the Capt Amarinder Singh government had turned out to be an “inactive and repressive government.”
He said the ruling party, which came to power by promising to improve the farmers’ lot, had “ruined the farming community” in Punjab. He said it had beaten all previous state governments’ records in raining lathis on the farmers staging peaceful protests.
He alleged that the government was forcibly acquiring farmers’ lands and protecting the interests of big business houses. He alleged that the government had forcibly handed over 376 acres of land in three Barnala villages to Trident under the same policy.
He said they would not allow anyone to step into the farmers’ land and would continue with their stir. The union’s district president, Mr Ram Singh Bhainibagha, said the government should waive off the farmers’ entire debt and fulfil all promises it had made in its manifesto.
Punjab Kisan Union convener Ruldu Singh Mansa said they would intensify their agitation, despite the code of conduct coming into effect and would force the government to accept their demands.
