AMN /
The 48-hour long rail-roko agitation called by farmers in Punjab could further aggravate the problems of rail passengers as farmers have decided to continue their protest till Saturday.
Farmers are sitting at two main rail lines, Ludhiana-Ferozepur and Amritsar-Jalandhar under Ferozepur railway division. This has affected direct rail-link between Delhi and Amritsar as well as Rajashtan and Bihar.
Despite Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s appeal to them to refrain from such actions that cause unnecessary harassment to common people, farmers have reportedly taken the decision to continue with the protest in the absence of any assurance by the state government to fulfill their demands. Over 110 trains had already been affected across Punjab due to the stir.
Farmers are demanding Rs. 40 thousand per acre relief for losses to cotton growers due to whitefly attack whereas government has announced compensation at the rate of Rs. 8,000 per acre. They are also demanding Rs. 4,500 per quintal Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 1,509 variety of Basmati instead of Rs. 1,450 what government has announced and Rs. 5,000 for 1,121 varieties instead of Rs. 4,500 per quintal. Besides immediate clearance of sugarcane growers’ dues, the protesting farmers are also demanding Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to the families of those farmers who had committed suicide due to ongoing crisis.