71 passenger trains cancelled, diverted in Punjab as farmers hold rail roko agitation
Seventy-one passenger trains were cancelled and diverted due to the protests in Punjab near Dasua where farmers blocked rail tracks to protest non-payment of sugarcane dues by the state government, the Railway Ministry said Saturday.
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farmers blocked rail tracks to protest non-payment of sugarcane dues by the state government[/caption]
The ministry said in a statement the agitation started at 12:15 pm and was still going on.
"Nearly 250 protesters, all of a sudden, gathered at level crossing A- 82 between Dasua and Khuda Kurala stations and squatted on tracks, thereby blocking both up and down rail traffic," Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.
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Farmers blocked rail tracks to protest non-payment of sugarcane dues by Punjab govt[/caption]
"Consequently, nearly 35 trains had to be cancelled, 16 diverted via Amritsar and 20 trains short terminated," Kumar said. PTI
