Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab: Farm groups now allow plying of freight trains till November 20

CHANDIGARH: A majority of farm organisations spearheading protests against the Centre’s three new agri-marketing bills have decided to allow freight trains to ply in Punjab till November 20. They had initially on October 21 allowed the goods trains to ply till November 5. However, the goods train only could only ply for two days till a farm organisation blocked the rail tracks going towards two private thermal power plants. To complicate matters, farm organisation BKU Ekta Ugrahan flatly declined to vacate railway tracks on the internal tracks towards two independent power plants. The organisation said it will vacate the tracks if the Punjab government cancels the power purchase agreements (PPA) signed by previous SAD-BJP government with private thermal plants and takes them in its possession. Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said their core committee would hold a meeting on Thursday to decide the fate of their ‘rail roko’ agitation, which has been going on in Jandiala. “The freight trains have been allowed to ply till November 20 but the passenger trains will not be allowed to ply and farmers will keep on sitting at railway stations. The toll plazas will not be allowed to charge money and the protests at residences and offices of BJP leaders will continue. The petrol pumps being run by dealers may be allowed to run from Thursday for which decisions will be taken by local leaders. The pumps owned by companies will not be allowed to run. The next meeting will be held on November 18,” leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Kulwant Singh and Jagmohan Singh said.

The Times of India

2020-11-05

Chandigarh