Protesting farmers vacate railway tracks in Jalandhar to allow movement of goods trains

Nov 05, 2020

Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], November 5 : Farmers who had blocked railway tracks at Phillaur in Punjab's Jalandhar district in protest against the farm laws during the past few weeks have now vacated the area and are protesting at a nearby park to allow movement of goods trains.
"We have moved from railway tracks to a park. We had allowed goods train movement before too as there is a paucity of coal and manure in the state. But we will not let passengers trains cross," said a protestor.
Meanwhile, members of the Kisaan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee held a Chakka Jam protest on the Amritsar-Delhi Highway against the same agriculture laws.
"We are being forced to leave agriculture and work as labourers because we have nothing left to do. Our demand is that that the government take back these laws," another protestor said.
Farmers in Punjab have been protesting against the three agriculture laws -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 -- since they were passed by the Parliament.
Recently, Punjab Assembly had passed a resolution rejecting three farm laws enacted by the central government with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh later leading a delegation to Governor VP Singh Badnore urging him to give his assent to three bills by the assembly.