Farmers from a few villages surrounding Karepalli mandal headquarters staged a protest at Karepalli on Monday against the alleged attempts by the railway personnel concerned to close a level-crossing in the mandal headquarters.
According to sources, a group of aggrieved farmers staged a demonstration near the level-crossing in the morning when some railway personnel arrived at the spot reportedly to conduct a survey to ascertain the number of vehicles passing through the particular level-crossing daily.
The farmers raised slogans accusing the railway personnel of contemplating closing the “manned level crossing gate” on unjustified grounds citing “non-feasibility.”
The railway personnel reportedly left the place following the protests by farmers.
The agitated farmers apprised Wyra MLA B. Madan Lal of the matter over phone.
When contacted, Mr. Madan Lal told The Hindu that hundreds of farmers use the level-crossing to carry their farm produce from the nearby fields in tractors to the shandy in Karepalli.
Closure of the gate will force scores of farmers to take another long route entailing huge expenditure on them, he pointed out, saying the matter would be brought to the notice of railway higher officials to ensure continuation of the manned level-crossing gate.