Farmers Movement Archive

No train services in Punjab till October 29 as defiant farmers back on tracks

Three days after protesting farmers stopped an empty passenger train at Romana Albel railway station in Faridkot district and forced its return to Ferozepur, the Indian Railways on Monday announced the suspension of all trains, including goods services, in Punjab till October 29. Ferozepur divisional railway manager (DRM) Rajesh Agarwal said the decision was taken as despite farmer organisations announcing the withdrawal of the rail blockade, protesters on tracks have again started disrupting rail traffic. He said no goods train will operate in Punjab till all tracks and railway stations are cleared of protesters. SUPPLY DISRUPTED TO PRIVATE PLANTS Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) members started an indefinite dharna to disrupt coal supply to private thermal plants by blocking the tracks last Friday. The BKU activists started squatting on the rail route to the Vedanta Group-owned Talwandi Sabo power project at Banawala village in Mansa district. On Saturday, they blocked the rail line to the Rajpura thermal power plant, a subsidiary of the Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Group, for an indefinite period. Train services to a mega foodgrain silo operated by the Adani Group in Moga district was disrupted by BKU activists on Friday. Incidentally, the Left-leaning trade union disassociated itself from other farmer organisations’ rail roko and ended blockades by its activists at various places on October 13. Activists of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), the organisation that spearheaded the rail blockade since September 24, shifted the dharna from Devidas Pura to Jandiala Guru railway station on Monday. FRESH BLOCKADES PUT SERVICES OFF TRACK Agarwal said managing railway traffic is a complex activity that requires strict safety audit of tracks, engines and wagons. “On Friday, the protesters did not allow an empty train that required servicing. They disrupted the movement of goods trains, too. In such conditions, it’s become challenging to plan the safe movement of trains so it was decided to suspend all goods trains till rail blockades are cleared,” he said. Thirty-two goods trains plied on different routes of Punjab under the Ferozepur and Ambala divisions on October 22, a day after farmers announced lifting their three-week-long blockade. Agarwal said 173 goods trains were put on tracks in Ferozepur and Ambala railway divisions till October 23. However, the authorities had earlier suspended goods trains services on October 24 and 25 in view of fresh blockades of tracks at different places. FARMERS OPPOSE PRIVATE PLAYERS IN POWER SECTOR The BKU leadership said it was against the corporate sector in power generation and farmers would unite to keep private players out. They said the Punjab government will be forced to make the best use of state-run plants to run on full capacity to generate electricity.

Hindustan Times

26-10-2020

Chandigarh