Passengers a harassed lot as farmer unions block rail tracks
As various farmer unions, including Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba), Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) blocked the passage of trains at various locations in Jalandhar, commuters remained a harassed lot.
As the passage of trains remained blocked for over two hours between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm, passengers kept waiting for trains some of which were cancelled or delayed by four to five hours. Majority of those waiting for trains at the station were migrants, who were unaware of the rail blockade today. Passengers said they were waiting for the arrival of trains from Amritsar side heading towards various destinations in Bihar and UP.
At Phillaur, leaders of the BKU (Doaba) and the BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) led the protest while KMSC leaders held a protest at Lohian Khas railway station. Holding protests, BKU (Doaba) president Manjit S Rai and KMSC state chief Salwinder S Janian flayed the Centre for inaction over the case of crushing four farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri village on October 3, 2021. They alleged that the main accused BJP leaders still wielded powers.
The farmer leaders claimed that the previous Congress regime led by then Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was always more supportive of their cause than the present Aam Aadmi Party ruling dispensation. On the issue of stubble burning, they disagreed with the state government claims of having provided ample machinery for crop residue management. They demanded deployment of labour available under the MGREGA scheme for clearing fields after harvesting crops.
KMSC president Sarwan S Pandher said farmers had been long pleading with the governments to provide them manual labour for quickly removing stubble from fields under MGNREGA, but their suggestions had gone unheard.
“We need a mix of machinery and manual labourer to clear farms within a few days after harvesting paddy so that farmers can cultivate vegetables like peas, carrots, potatoes in this season. Since farmers don’t get machinery on time, they resort to burning crop residue,” said Pandher.
He alleged that Punjab farmers were being unnecessarily made villains. “The industry causes much more pollution than farm fires. It is just that the air begins to get cold and moist and starts to settle in October-November, making it difficult for the smoke to pass. The whole blame of smog comes on us,” he said.
On red entries, he said, “The biggest trouble for farmers with this action is issues they face for preparing passports for sending their children abroad. They also cannot sell their village lands to show funds for obtaining visas.”
BKU (Doaba) chief Manjit S Rai said, “The government claims that there is 1.5 lakh machinery available for 12,000 villages of Punjab to manage stubble, but the ground reality is quite different. There is not a single super seeder available in my own Pur Hiran village of Hoshiarpur district. The number of farmers who get balers, mulchers and other machines on subsidy is far lower than those who apply for it.”
Rail Roko Andolan
Tanda Urmar (Hoshiarpur): Rail Roko Andolan was held at Tanda railway station by Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) under the leadership of district president Paramjit Singh Bhulla and Kuldeep Singh Begowal. Hundreds of farmers, labourers and women staged a dharna on railway track around 12.30 pm.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhulla said during the Delhi agitation, Ashish, son of BJP’s Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Ajay Mishra, brutally killed farmers by running a vehicle over them at Lakhimpur Kheri village. Even after a case was registered, the victims and farmers did not get justice. He said till now the Central Government had not given MSP on crops. False FIRs registered against farmers during the Delhi agitation were not cancelled. Bhulla said the KMSC had appealed to farmers to boycott the panchayat elections.
