Chandigarh: Rail traffic remained paralysed in Punjab for the fifth consecutive day today with protesting farmers, seeking higher compensation for crop loss, continued their stir, causing inconvenience to the passengers and financial loss to railways. Railway authorities said movement of 73 trains were today hit, taking the total number of trains being affected to 336 so far in the five-day long farmers’ protest.
Out of 73 trains, 29 including mail/express trains were cancelled because of the agitation, Railway officials said. According to Divisional Railway Manager, (Ferozepur Division), Anuj Prakash, the ongoing farmers’ ‘Rail Roko’ agitation in the state has caused whopping financial loss of Rs 100 crore to Railways.
Yesterday, eight farmers’ outfits, which are spearheading the agitation, rejected the appeal of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to call off their protest and extended their agitation till tomorrow. “Our protest will go on till October 12 and the next line of action will be decided after meeting the Punjab CM in Chandigarh,” BKU Etka (Dakunda) General Secretary, Jagmohan Singh said today. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal yesterday invited protesting farmers to hold talks with the Chief Minister on October 12 for resolving their issues.
Badal yesterday said his government was ready to accept every genuine demand of the farmers and would leave no stone unturned to bail the distressed agriculturists out of the severe crisis. SAD’s appeal to agitating farmers to call off their protest came even as the ruling party had accused them of playing politics over the peasants’ issues.
While agitating farmers have blamed SAD-BJP led state government for its “apathetic” attitude towards farmers’ genuine grievances.
