Punjab farmers block roads, rail tracks to protest ‘tardy’ paddy purchase

PTI Ludhiana: Punjab farmers on Sunday blocked roads and squatted on rail tracks at many places in the state as part of their protest against the alleged tardy procurement of paddy in the ongoing Kharif marketing season. While the Samyukta Kisan Morcha had given a call for a statewide road blockade from 12 to 3 pm, the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) had also given a call for ‘rail roko’ for three hours. As farmers blocked roads at several places including national highways, commuters faced inconvenience.

Police, however, had diverted road traffic through alternative routes. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said they held their ‘rail roko’ protest at 17 places including Batala, Shahkot (Jalandhar), Bathinda, Ajitwal (Moga), Wallah Phatak (Amritsar), Patti (Tarn Taran), Malout (Muktsar), Jalalabad (Fazilka), Kotakpura (Faridkot), Mansa, Dhablan (Patiala), Sunam (Sangrur), Malerkotla, Qila Raipur (Ludhiana) Lalru (Mohali), Talwandi Bhai (Ferozepur) and Mandiala (Hoshiarpur). In Ludhiana, farmers disrupted road traffic at several places, including Samrala, Kohara, Khanna, Raikot, Doraha, Payal and Jagraon. Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said despite assurances by the state government regarding the smooth procurement of paddy, farmers are facing problems in grain markets. In Hoshiarpur, farmers blocked road traffic near Bijli Ghar Chowk, SDM Chowk and Adda Bhangala. The protesters also squatted on the railway tracks at village Mandiala on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar rail section.