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Farmers protest, Day 2: Passengers bear the brunt as 104 trains affected
Farm leaders on Friday said they will be expanding their protest by adding three more sites, including one each in Samrala, Malout, and Ambala, Haryana.
Operations of at least 104 trains were affected due to farmer protests in Punjab, Northern Railway said in its communication on Friday.
Out of the total, 29 trains were cancelled for the day. The railways have already announced the cancellation of 17 other trains, including New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat, for Saturday. Several other trains, including two Amritsar Shatabdis and Ajmer Garib Rath, will be short-terminated or short-originated in view of the protests.
As the protest entered Day 2, commuters again bore the brunt of cancelled trains. Ferozepur railway division spokesperson said on Friday 68 trains had to be cancelled, 51 were short-terminated or originated, while routes of 16 other trains were diverted.
A resident of Machhi Market locality in Ludhiana, Phool Wati, has been stuck at Bathinda railway station with seven other family members since Thursday night.
“We went on a pilgrimage to Gogameri in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh and reached Bathinda last night. Now, there is no train to Ludhiana and going by bus would mean an extra financial burden on us,” said the migrant worker.
An engineering student from Kurukshetra University said she had a tough time reaching Bathinda.
“As train services are hit, buses on Ambala-Patiala-Bathinda were overcrowded. I had a confirmed train ticket but it was cancelled. It’s sheer harassment,” she added.
Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KZSC), farmer unions are spearheading the protest called over farmer demands such as a financial package for losses caused by recent floods and a legal guarantee for the MSP (minimum support price) for different crops.
A large number of farmers, including women squatted on railway tracks at 17 different spots in 12 districts of Punjab.
KMSC president Sukhwinder Singh Sabhra said the stir is getting a good response from the farmers’ community. “On the first day, 17 places in Punjab witnessed the stir, while on Friday, three more places were added to it,” he said.
Three more protest sites added: Farm leaders
Farm leaders on Friday said they will be expanding their protest by adding three more sites, including one each in Samrala, Malout, and Ambala, Haryana.
Addressing a press conference at Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh farm leader Suresh Konth said, “We have decided to add three more sites, including two in Punjab and one in Haryana. Our agitation will conclude by 4 pm tomorrow, but if our demands are not met, we will be open to intensifying our stir.”
