Road, rail blockade in Majha; supplies hit
Item
Title
Road, rail blockade in Majha; supplies hit
Description
The ‘Bharat bandh’ call evoked an overwhelming response in the Majha region.In Amritsar, farmers — under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) — protested half-naked. They blocked the Amritsar-New Delhi railway track, Jodha Phatak in Vallah and Amritsar-Jalandhar GT Road, demanding the repeal of the farm laws, Straw Act, and the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020.They insisted on a law guaranteeing MSP, cancellation of notices issued to farmers and issuance of challans for violations of Covid-19 guildeines and the removal of the condition of taking fards (land record) by the government.Barring the essential, and emergency services — a total bandh was observed and the streets wore a deserted look with a heavy vigil by the police at 40 different places.In Tarn Taran, Amritsar-Khemkaran and Amritsar-TarnTaran-Beas rail routes remained blocked. The milk and vegetable supply, too, were suspended. The rail track from Pathankot to Amritsar was blocked. Except for the banks and medicine, all services were stopped.KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said:“In Amritsar the main rail track and road network remained disrupted at 88 points; in Tarn Taran, at 32 places; in Gurdaspur, the blockade was being observed at 18 places; in Ferozepur, at 15 places; in Hoshiarpur, at two places; in Kapurthala and Jalandhar at five places each; and in Moga, at two places. The blockade was also witnessed in Fazilka, Muktsar and Faridkot”, he said. The border belt of Attari, Chogawan, Lopoke, Khasa and Bhakna, too, saw complete shutdown.Doaba affected tooJalandhar: The call for ‘Bharat bandh’ evoked a huge response across Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr in the Doaba region. All marketplaces remained shut, as farmers squatted on highways across the region. Banks, telecom offices and tehsils, which opened in the morning, were forcibly shut by protesters. Passengers faced inconvenience as road and rail traffic was paralysed.
Publisher
The Tribune
Date
2021-03-27
Coverage
Amritsar