Farmers' protest: 19 trains cancelled in Punjab
Premium- This comes just hours after sugarcane farmers blocked highway, railway track in Jalandhar, demanding clearance of their dues
Indian Railways has cancelled 19 trains due to farmers' agitation in Punjab's Firozpur railway division, news agency ANI reported on Saturday. The report comes just hours after sugarcane farmers blocked highway, railway track in Jalandhar, demanding clearance of their dues.
“If government doesn't hold talks with us by today evening, then we will give Punjab Bandh call. We will try to avoid imposing a bandh from tomorrow due to Rakhi," MS Rai of BKU-Doaba was quoted as saying by ANI.
Farmers are seeking hike in sugarcane prices and clearance of their dues. On Friday, hundreds of farmers launched an agitation for an indefinite period to press the Amarinder Singh government to accept their demands related to pending dues of sugarcane and hike in cane prices.
They blocked rail tracks and a national highway in Jalandhar on Saturday, impacting movement of trains and vehicular traffic.
Reports say that as many as 50 trains have been cancelled, while 54 have either been diverted or short-terminated. Today, they refused to lift the blockade till their demands were met. However, they have allowed emergency vehicles to ply.
Protesters have blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of the national highway near Dhanowali village of Jalandhar district. The blockade affected traffic to and from Jalandhar, Amritsar and Pathankot.
Farmers sitting on the Jalandhar-Chaheru section have blocked the Ludhiana-Amritsar and the Ludhiana-Jammu rail tracks in Jalandhar, affecting several trains, including the Amritsar-New Delhi (02030) and the Amritsar-New Delhi Shane-e-Punjab (04068).
They are demanding that the Punjab government raise the state assured price (SAP) of sugarcane and clear payment of arrears to the tune of ₹200-250 crore.
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