Farmers Movement Archive

Won’t allow passenger trains: Punjab farmers

CHANDIGARH/PATIALA: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on Sunday said he has sought intervention of Union home minister Amit Shah to ensure restoration of train services, even as agitating farmers stuck to their stand of allowing only goods trains and not passenger ones in the state. The Railways maintains that protesting farmers cannot dictate terms and that no goods train will operate in Punjab unless passenger trains are allowed. Amarinder had spoken to Shah on Saturday to discuss the situation and assured him that there were no law and order concerns to prevent resumption of services for “facilitating supply of essential commodities” in Punjab and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and J&K. He added that all these states and Union territories were suffering huge losses due to the suspension of train services. Amarinder highlighted that security concerns could be serious for the nation if essential supplies did not reach the armed forces in Ladakh and J&K before snowfall due to the Railways’ decision not to ply goods trains immediately. He informed Shah that all tracks had been cleared by the farmers for the “movement of freight trains” and the ground situation was now totally peaceful and conducive for safe transportation of goods. The CM also pointed out that farmers had not disturbed peace in any part of Punjab over the past few weeks of their protests against the three new agri laws enacted by the Centre. Amarinder also told Shah that he had directed the state police to extend all support to the Railway Protection Force. Meanwhile, farmer leaders said the cat was out of the bag after the Centre refused to start goods trains despite the protesters clearing railway tracks. They alleged that the central government was not only anti-farmer, but also anti-Punjab as it wanted to hit the economy of the state by not allowing goods trains to operate. The general secretary of BKU Ekta Dakaunda Punjab, one of the 32 protesting farmers’ groups, Jagmohan Singh Patiala said, “This is our agitation against the central government and the Centre cannot put any conditions.” A spokesperson for BKU Ekta Ugraha, another farmers’ organisation, said they had staged protests at 43 separate sites in Punjab, including railway tracks and at the residences of BJP functionaries.

The Times of India

2020-11-09

India