Farmers lift dharna from rail tracks after assurance from administration for meeting with CM
Ferozepur February 13,2018: Hundreds of farmers along with their family members, under the banner of Kissan Sangharsh Committee today blocked railway tracks affecting trains on Bahtinda, Jalanadhar and Ludhiana routes.
On the second of protest, they have threatened to block the railway tracks to register their protest. Having no response on the third day, the farmers decided to block railway tracks.
Farmers were seen sitting on the railway tracks and accusing the government of not honoruing the commitments to waive off the full loan amounts of the farmers besides considering various other demands including implementation of Dr.Swaminathan report.
Farmers agitation under rail-roko programme has caused inconvenience to the passengers besides causing heavy loss to the railways.
Addressing the farmers, Satnam Singh Pannu, State President, and others accused the Punjab government led by Capt Amarinder Singh. They said, more than 900 farmers have committed suicides. On this occasion, the farmer leaders demanded from the government to waive off the entire loans of the farmers, implementation of Dr.Swaminathan report and arrange the return of all cheque taken in advance by the banks illegally against their loans.
The leaders also demanded a compensation of Rs.10 lakh to the family members of farmers who have committed suicides and minimum pension of Rs.5000 over 60 years to farmers laborers, putting a cut on the pension and allowances of MLAs and Ministers, registration of a case against Zira MLA and his father in the case Kachharbhan incident.
They also demanded the arrest of 12 accused nominated in the case of demolishing of houses of Lohkan Khurd labourers, holding an enquiry through a sitting judge of High Court against the charges of corruption and sale of drugs on Kulbir Singh Zira, MLA and making arrangements for the stray animals damaging the standings crops of the farmers.
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Ferozepur, February 13, 2019: Following assurance from the administration, Kissan Sangharsh Committee lifted the dharna from the rail tracks to arrange meeting with the Chief Minister to redress their grievances.
Giving this information, Satnam Singh Pannu, President, KSC informed that B.S.Sidhu, SP(I) and Amit Gupta, SDM on behalf of the Punjab government assured to arrange the meeting with the Chief Minister Punjab on February 27 to discuss across the table the major problems of the farmers.
A preparatory meeting before having a meeting with the CM will be held with the local administration on February 15, he added.
He further said that in case there is no outcome of the meetings, the farmers will start their rail-roko protest again on March 1 starting from Tarn-Taran to Ferozepur.
Added here, the dharna was lifted around 5.30 pm on assurance from the administration to organize the meeting with the CM. The railways had to terminate and short terminate few trains on three tracks causing inconvenience to the passengers and loss to the institution.
