Farmers block railway track for four hours, passengers troubled

Tribune News Service

Ambala, September 30

To extend their support to farmers in Punjab, farm activists under the banner of various farm unions today kept the Ambala-Rajpura section of the Ambala Division blocked for nearly four hours.

The farmers gathered near the Shambhu toll plaza and then moved towards the railway track through Ghel village.

Women farm activists from Patiala also joined the protest here.

180 trains affected

Nearly 180 trains were affected due to the farmers' agitation in Punjab. While 74 passenger trains were cancelled, 104 mail express trains were short terminated and diverted. Extra counters have been opened at major stations so that the passengers don’t face any inconvenience in getting refunds. We will soon assess the loss suffered due to the three-day agitation. Naveen Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager

Farmers in Punjab had given a call for “rail roko” agitation in the state from September 28 to 30 to raise pending issues, including minimum support price (MSP), loan waiver, relief package and others, from the Central Government. The farmers have also been demanding compensation for farmers who suffered losses due to the recent floods.

The farmers, who blocked the tracks around 12.10 pm, stopped a goods train and raised slogans against the government. The farmers lifted their blockade around 4 pm.

BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) leader Tejveer Singh said, “The farmers kept the railway track blocked for nearly 4 hours in the support of farmers in Punjab. The second phase of the farm agitation has started and the government will have to pay a price if the demands are not met. A sense of resentment is brewing and the farm unions will soon move towards Delhi.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of passengers faced inconvenience due to the cancellation and short termination of trains.

Abhishek Kumar, who was travelling with his family, said “We were on our way to Jammu, but our train got cancelled. We boarded a train up to Ambala and now there is no train for the further journey due to the agitation. We have to wait for the farmers to lift the blockade. It is very inconvenient for small children and aged persons.”

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