Punjab farmer bodies ease ‘rail roko’ stir, allow movement of goods trains

The farmer bodies in Punjab on Wednesday announced the easing of their three-week-long 'rail roko' agitation by allowing goods trains in the state.

Farmer leader Satnam Singh said the decision was taken keeping in mind the shortage of coal and diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer.

“We have decided to allow only goods trains from today till November 5,” he said here.

The announcement comes after a meeting of different farmer organisations here.

The protesting farmers, however, said they would continue to stage sit-ins outside fuel pumps of some corporates, toll plazas and residences of BJP leaders in the state.

“The next course of action will be announced in a meeting fixed for November 4,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakunda) general secretary Jagmohan Singh said.

The Punjab government had been urging the protesting farmers to relax their rail roko agitation in the wake of severe shortage of coal for thermal plants in the state.

Several industrial organisations had also complained of not receiving their inputs due to the agitation.

Farmers in the state had blocked rail tracks from October 1 on a call given by several farmer unions. Some tracks had been blocked since September 24.

On the four Bills passed by the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday against the Centre’s farm laws, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said it was a “big achievement” of farmers' agitation.

“It has happened for the first time that a special session of the Assembly was called and the Bills were passed under pressure from farmers.

“It is a big achievement of farmers' agitation,” he said.

The Bills were passed after an over five-hour discussion, in which BJP MLAs did not take part. The BJP has two legislators in the assembly.

The Opposition SAD, AAP and Lok Insaaf MLAs backed the legislations.