Activists threaten to block railway track on Tuesday

Malerkotla, March 3

Having failed to get their long pending demands accepted from authorities in the Northern Railways office, bearers and activists of organisations working for small farmers and vegetable growers have threatened to block railway track between Malerkotla Railway Station and Matoi village on Ludhiana-Dhuri railway line on Tuesday.

Construction of a wall along railway track to stop exploitation of railway land for illegal purposes and construction of underpasses on crossings between Naudhrani and Matoi level crossings were cited as major demands of the farmers.

Activists led by Farmers Federation Malerkotla chairman Mehmood Akhtar alleged that several human and animal lives had been lost due to unguarded railway track passing through thickly inhabited and deserted areas during past decades. The activists regretted that all pleas to take remedial action had fallen on deaf ears of the senior functionaries in the Northern Railways.

“Having failed to get our demands accepted we have decided to block railway track between Malerkotla station and Matoi for four hours at 10 am on Tuesday,” reads a communiqué written by the federation to DRM Northern Railway Ambala.

Demands

Construction of a wall along railway track to stop exploitation of railway land for illegal purposes and construction of underpasses on crossings between Naudhrani and Matoi level crossings were cited as major demands of the farmers.