Protest by kin of Dasehra tragedy victims enters Day 3

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 11

Several SAD-BJP leaders and workers on Wednesday joined a protest being held by Dasehra train tragedy victims seeking job on compassionate grounds. The train tragedy victims openly accused Sidhu couple for the incident.

Protesting on the Bhandari Railway over bridge, their indefinite strike has entered third day. They have been demanding employment on compassionate ground to each member of the family of the victims. Most of the persons injured were daily wagers and vendors. Many of them were lone breadwinners in their families.

Holding placards, kin of victims and protesting leaders, accused former Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu for their deplorable condition. Dr Sidhu was the chief guest at the Dasehra programme when a Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU train run-off about 60 people on October 19, 2018.

AIT releases Rs10 cr for rly underpass at Jora Phatak

The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) has released the first instalment of Rs10 crore to start construction work on a railway underpass at Jora Phatak. The total cost of the underpass is Rs26.66 crore. AIT Chairman Dinesh Bassi said the remaining amount of Rs15.66 crore would be issued to the Railways soon after the construction work started.

“More than 50,000 residents will get relief with the construction of an underpass. Around 185 up-down trains pass through Jora Phatak daily. Several accidents have been reported on the route in the past. People face inconvenience as most of the time, they find the crossing closed due to the movement of trains,” said Bassi.

The AIT chairman added that Capt Amarinder Singh had assured the residents of the area of an underpass. “A wide underpass will be constructed on the level crossing. The project will be completed within 18 months,” he said.