Labourers block rail traffic
Jalandhar, March 11
The Pendu Mazdoor Union, Punjab, along with the Bhoomi Sangharsh Committee, staged rail blockades across three locations in the district to highlight their long-pending demands.
Rail traffic to Delhi was halted at the Kartarpur railway crossing, while trains bound for Ferozepur were stopped at Lohian and those heading to Ludhiana were halted at Nakodar. The ‘rail roko’ protest lasted for four hours from 12 pm to 4 pm. It led to delay, diversion and short-termination of trains.
The protest, led by Tarsem Peter, state president of the union, along with Kashmir Singh Ghugshore, secretary, and Mukesh Maloud, chairman of the committee, aimed at drawing attention to the persistent neglect of workers’ demands by both Central and Punjab governments.
The leaders claimed that the protest, which was to be held peacefully, turned violent due to police action. Several union members and protesters were placed under house arrest in their respective villages since previous evening.
Several protesters who were on way to join the protest were intercepted while others were arrested. Instances of lathicharge by the police were also reported, they said.
The leaders highlighted the disregard for labourers’ rights, particularly citing the widespread violation of the Land Ceiling Act 1972 in Punjab, which limits land ownership to 17.5 acres per family. They lamented the stark disparity where affluent landowners possess vast expanses of land while labourer families struggle to meet basic needs, including shelter.
The union’s demands encompass reforms benefiting farmers and labourers, including the provision for permanent ownership rights to Dalits for one-third of panchayat lands, granting ownership rights to residents within demarcated areas, disbursing a monthly pension of Rs 15,000 to widows and disabled individuals and annulment of FIRs against labourers and farmers.
The protesters said a meeting with the CM’s Principal Secretary had been scheduled for March 14. They were hopeful that their demands would be accepted. Else, they would be forced to intensify their protests.
