Farmers block rail traffic for 7 hours in Gurdaspur

Movement of several trains on Jammu-Amritsar section affected as protesters held dharna on rail track to press for their demands

Movement of several trains on the Jammu-Amritsar section was affected for around seven hours as around 500 farmers, including women, sat on a dharna on the rail track in Gurdaspur on Friday to press for their demands.

The protest, held under the aegis of Kisan-Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee, Punjab, continued from 1 pm to 7.50 pm.

Their demands include payment of dues worth Rs 750 crore by state cooperative and private sugar mills, waiver on farm loans and compensation for loss of crops.

Farmers from Gurdaspur, Sri Hargobindpur, Hoshiarpur, Baba Bakala, Kathu Nangal and Tarn Taran participated in the dharna held on the rail track along the Gurdaspur-Sri Hargobindpur road.

The dharna was lifted after Gurdaspur deputy commissioner (DC) Mohammad Ishfaq assured the protesters that their demands will be forwarded to the top officials of the state government for consideration.

Earlier, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Skattar Singh Bal reached the spot to persuade the farmers to lift the blockade, but the protesters said they will not relent until they are given an assurance about their demands.

Kisan-Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee senior vice-president Swinder Singh Chautala and general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said they were forced to block rail traffic after three of their peaceful dharnas outside the DC office in Gurdaspur did not yield any results.

The district police had made elaborate security arrangements to check any untoward incident during the dharna.