Ludhiana: Protest over Electricity Amendment Bill: Farmers’ rail roko fizzles out as most trains run on time in city
Station authorities said most trains at Ludhiana Junction operate in the morning or late evening, leaving only six trains scheduled during the protest hours
The Rail Roko call by farmers’ unions on Friday registered minimal impact at Ludhiana Junction, as the timing of the protest coincided with limited train movement. Despite plans for a sit-in at Sahnewal station to protest the Electricity Amendment Bill, only a handful of trains were affected, and most services continued on schedule, causing minimal disruption to passengers.
Activists from Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (Punjab) and other farmers’ organisations had planned protests at 26 stations across the state from 1-3 pm. Station authorities said most trains at Ludhiana Junction operate in the morning or late evening, leaving only six trains scheduled during the protest hours. The Kolkata-Akal Takht Express, which usually passes at this time, was stopped at Ambala, while other trains ran on time.
According to the Ferozepur Division, 16 trains were briefly stopped across various stations.
The Sahnewal protest was to be led by Dilbag Singh Gill, state president of Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union.
However, Gill was detained by police around 10 am while on his way to Reru Sahib Gurdwara. Many other activists were also detained en route. Gill was released at 3.30 pm from an office in Kohara.
Gill said the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha-Pander, which called the Rail Roko to protest the Electricity Amendment Bill, will hold a meeting to decide the next course of action.
He also announced plans for a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s office on 16 December.
Senior divisional commercial manager Paramdeep Singh Saini said, “We had made arrangements to ensure that wherever there were delays, the passengers received information in time. The trains which had to be stopped were stopped at stations where passengers would not face any inconvenience.”
