Chandigarh: Around 21 trains in Punjab on Wednesday delayed after farmers held massive protest at several places in the state forced commuters and business persons to suffer after hundreds of farmers at several locations squatted on rail tracks in view of their long pending demands,including the legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The protests were held at several locations at the call of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, was carried out at over 100 locations in the state, badly impacting the railway services.
Several business owners claimed heavy losses in their business after train delays, and appealed authorities to hard farmers’ demands to avoid any future protests.
“Our livelihood depends on our business. Most of the people in the state depend on the railway for going from one place to another for their business purposes,” one of the commuters said.
He also said that protests and delays in trains are affecting the business community most in the state.
Sharing the details a senior police official said that no untoward incident was reported in the protests. However the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha president Sarwan Singh Pandher shared that the protest call got a good response in the state.
The impact of the protest was more viable in Moga, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Batala, Qadian, Phillaur, Tanda, Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Sunam towns.
Notably, the Supreme court earlier said that the court’s doors were “always open” to the demands and suggestions of protesting farmers, after they refused to engage with the Punjab government-formed committee.
The Punjab government told the apex court that despite several meetings with fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the farmers had rejected interactions with the state’s high-powered committee.
Protesting farmers, whose bid to enter Haryana in support of their long-pending demands was foiled thrice, halted the trains to lodge their protest and press their demands.
Pertinent to mention, farmers of both outfits have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
The 70-year-old cancer patient Dallewal has been fasting at Khanauri, the border point between Punjab and Haryana, since November 26 in support of their demands that included loan waiver and reforms to improve conditions in the agricultural sector.