Chandigarh, August 21, 2021 (PPI-OT): In India, farmers, seeking hike in sugarcane prices, blocked rail tracks and a highway in Jalandhar, today, impacting movement of trains and vehicular traffic. 50 trains have been cancelled, while 54 have either been diverted or short-terminated, the railway officials of Ferozepur division said. Protesters have blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of the highway near Dhanowali village of Jalandhar district. The blockade affected traffic to and from Jalandhar, Amritsar and Pathankot, though the administration diverted traffic through alternative routes.
Scores of farmers had on Friday launched an agitation for an indefinite period to press the government of Indian Punjab to accept their demands related to pending dues of sugarcane and hike in cane prices. On Saturday, they refused to lift the blockade till their demands were met.
Emergency vehicles had, however, been allowed to ply, they added.
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 and the Amritsar-New Delhi Shane-e-Punjab. They are demanding that the Punjab government raise the state assured price (SAP) of sugarcane and clear payment of arrears of Rs 200 crore-250 crore. Meanwhile, the commuters heading towards the airport were a harried lot as traffic was disrupted by the Mini Bus Operators’ Association for more than seven hours on Friday.
For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org