Patiala shopkeepers lay siege to rail track

Intensifying their stir against the sealing order of the Punjab and Haryana high court, 500 shopkeepers blocked rail traffic at the local railway station on Sunday.

Intensifying their stir against the sealing order of the Punjab and Haryana high court, 500 shopkeepers blocked rail traffic at the local railway station on Sunday.

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The protesters stopped the New Delhi-Ganganagar inter-city train for around two hours, putting passengers to inconvenience. Passengers who had to reach for important assignments had a harrowing time. Many of them were seen boarding buses in order to reach their respective destinations.

"I had an important function to attend in Karnal, but the agitation delayed us," said Parminder Sngh, who had come all the way from Bathinda with his family.

The court has instructed the authorities concerned to implement its orders before August 14. The authorities have so far sealed around 100 shops and 12 big showrooms. No sealing was done on Saturday, much to the relief of shopkeepers.

The sealing drive is expected to affect 3,500 shopkeepers in the city. In spite of prior notice from the protesters, the police failed to secure the tracks.