E-Paper
Wheat crop damage compensation: Train services hit as farmers squat on rail tracks
Farm unions in Punjab called for a four-hour 'rail roko' agitation, resulting in the cancellation of at least 20 trains and disruption for rail passengers. The farmers were protesting damage to wheat crops due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms, and demanding higher compensation. The protest was aimed at pressuring the Centre to withdraw its decision to impose a value cut on the MSP for broken and discoloured grains. The Punjab government has offered to pay compensation of ?15,000 per acre up to five acres, but the farmers are demanding ?50,000 per acre compensation.
Commuters bore the brunt of the four-hour ‘rail roko’ agitation called by farm unions, under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, as at least 20 trains were cancelled across the state on Tuesday.
The disruption in rail services caused inconvenience to many rail passengers. The protesters squatted on rail tracks in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Fazilka, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran. In some places, the farmers even put up tents on the tracks.
The farm unions had announced to disrupt the railway services to press for their demands related to damage to the wheat crop due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms.
According to the Ferozepur railway division Divisional Railway Manager Seema Sharma, 20 trains were cancelled due to the blockade of railway lines. “20 trains, including those running from Jalandhar city to Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana to Ferozepur Cantt, Amritsar to Qadian, Amritsar to Pathankot and Verka to Dera Baba Nanak were cancelled, while trains between Bathinda and Fazilka were short terminated and short originated,” the officials added in a press release.
The protest was against the value cut announced by the Centre on wheat grain shrivelled and broken due to unseasonal rains. The farmers are also demanding a higher compensation per acre for crop damage.
In Bathinda and adjoining districts of southwest Punjab activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU-Ekta Ugrahan) squatted on the railway lines.
Union general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan said activists held protests on railway tracks at 16 sites in different districts across the state. Kokri Kalan said their outfit stopped trains at several places including Ajitwal in Moga, Gidderbaha in Muktsar, Fatehgarh Churian in Gurdaspur, Patti in Tarn Taran, Dhuri and Lehragaga in Sangrur, Kila Raipur in Ludhiana, Budhlada in Mansa, Jaito in Faridkot and Jalalabad in Fazilka.
He said the Centre’s decision to impose value cut on shrivelled and broken wheat grain during procurement was “anti-farmer” and “the Centre and Punjab government are doing little to address the problems of wheat growers.”
Kokri Kalan said today’s protest was aimed at putting pressure on the Centre to immediately withdraw the decision to impose a value cut on the MSP for broken and discoloured grains.
“The crops were damaged for natural reasons and imposing value cut is anti-farmer. It should be declared a ‘national calamity’ to ensure farmers do not face any cut in payments,” the farmer leader said.
The farmer union rejected the Punjab government’s norm of paying compensation of ₹15,000 per acre up to five acres and demanded ₹50,000 per acre compensation.
“The norm is against the interests of farmers and insufficient,” said Kokri Kalan.
In Amritsar, farmers owing allegiance to various farm organisations laid siege to the rail tracks. Various farm organizations, including Jamhoori Kisan Sabha and Kirti Kisan Union, which are part of the SKM, laid siege to the Amritsar railway junction. A passenger in Amritsar said he and his family members were to go to Kanpur but when they came to the railway station, they got to know that the train was delayed due to the protest.
In Ludhiana, a passenger Manish Kumar who was travelling from Delhi to Amritsar along with his family, said “With the rise in temperature the passengers are facing a hard time. Our train was stuck at Ludhiana Railway station for over four hours. It is suffocating for passengers with medical complications to bear this for a long time.”
Apart from passenger trains, several trains with reserved coaches including Shan-E-Punjab, Sarbat Da Bhala and Dadar Express remained stuck for over four hours at major stations leading to long delays thus causing massive inconvenience to the passengers.
Last week, the government relaxed the limit of shrivelled and broken grain up to 18% against the existing limit of 6%. No value cut will be applicable on shrivelled and broken wheat up to 6%. The value cut will not be applicable on wheat having lustre loss up to 10%, while a value cut of ₹5.31 per quintal on a flat basis will be deducted on wheat having lustre loss above 10% up to 80%.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had said his government will bear the burden on account of the value reduction imposed by the Centre on wheat crops damaged due to untimely rains and hailstorms.
