Farmers on Thursday gathered near railway tracks at many places in Punjab and Haryana for the 'rail roko' protest against the Centre's new agri laws, with officials stopping trains at stations as a precautionary measure.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest, last week had announced the nationwide rail blockade to press for its demand to repeal the legislations and had said that the agitation will be from 12 pm to 4 p.m.
Here are the updates:
Negligible impact of 'rail roko' call on train services, says Railways
There was negligible or minimal impact on railway services due to the rail roko agitation called by farmer groups on Thursday, a spokesperson for the national transporter said.
He said majority of the zonal railways reported no incident due to the protest.
"The rail roko agitation passed off without any untoward incident. There was negligible or minimal impact on running of the trains across the country. Train movement in all the zones is normal now," the spokesperson said.
"Majority of the zones have reported not a single case of any stoppage of train by the agitators. Few trains were stopped in some areas of some Railway zones but now train operation is normal and trains are being operated smoothly. While dealing with the Rail roko agitation, utmost patience was exercised by all concerned," he said.
Earlier, around 25 trains were regulated by the Railways on account of the agitation. - PTI
Farmers' rail roko agitation: 25 trains regulated in northern railway zone
Around 25 trains have been regulated in the northern zone due to the 'rail roko' call by farmers protesting the three agri laws on Thursday, a zonal railway spokesperson said.
Follow live updates here:Rail roko protest | Farmers assemble near rail tracks in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
He, however, said there has been minimum effect of the agitation on the railways till now.
"Around 25 trains have been regulated so far. There has been minimum effect on rail services due to the agitation," Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.
Also read:‘Rail Roko’ protest: Delhi Police steps up security near tracks
Regulating trains means they have been either cancelled, short terminated or rerouted.
- PTI
No trains arrive in Narela post noon
The Narela railway station in Delhi was witness to an unusual sight on Thursday -- hundred-odd police personnel and about 20 people dotted its platforms but none was expecting a train anytime soon.
According to a senior police officer, the trains scheduled to arrive at Narela were stopped by the protesting farmers in Haryana's Sonepat.
"Jhelum Express passed the station in the morning, and no train arrived after that," the police officer said.
The Utkal Express running from Puri in Odisha to Haridwar in Uttarakhand has been stopped at Ghaziabad station, as farmers are sitting on the track at nearby Modinagar, according to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
Mixed response to rail-roko in Karnataka
The call for a nationwide rail-roko campaign by the farmer-leaders in Delhi against the Centre's farm laws evoked a mixed response in Karnataka on Thursday.
In Bengaluru, the protest was low-key but there was a good turnout of protesters in Raichur, Belagavi and Davangere.
According to information received, the agitation took place in Yeshwanthpur Railway station in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Raichur, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Davangere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Koppal and Kolar.
Bengal
Rail roko protest in Belda, West Midnapore district of West Bengal.
Gurugram
Kisan Union protest at the Pathli Railway Station, Gurugram on Thursday.
Meerut
Members of Bhartiya Kisan Union block railway track at Meerut Cantonment Station on Thursday as part of the Rail Roko.
In Punjab, protesters sat on tracks at many places on the Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar railway route, officials said.
Farmers blocked the Jalandhar Cantt-Jammu railway track in Jalandhar and in Mohali district also farmers blocked a rail track, they said.
Delhi Metro shuts entry, exit at Tikri Border, 3 other stations
Entry and exit at four metro stations, including at Tikri Border, one of the epicentres of the farmers’ agitation, were shut on Thursday by DMRC authorities in view of the security situation.
The Tikri Border metro station is just near the farmers’ protest site.
"Security Update Entry/exit for Tikri Border, Pandit Shree Ram Sharma, Bahadurgarh City, and Brig. Hoshiar Singh have been closed," it tweeted.
Rail roko in Rajasthan
Farmers blocking railway track at Ajarka in Rajasthan's Alwar district.
The Delhi-Mumbai railway track was blocked in Rajasthan's Kota district. Farmers staged a sit-in on railway line near Gudla railway station.
As farmers staged protest on railway tracks, trains were stopped at Sawai Madhopur railway station.
Impact of farmers' agitation was very much visible in Rajasthan's Bikaner city. Farmers gathered near railway station and stopped the movement of trains for four hours.
Farmers affiliated to Samyukta Kisan Morcha staged a demonstration at Gandhi Nagar railway station in Jaipur. - Mohammad Iqbal
Police deployed at Haryana stations
All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan workers and farmers block railway traffic at Haryana's Kurukshetra railway station on Thursday in response to farmer unions call for "rail roko".
In Haryana, besides railway police personnel, the Haryana Police has deployed its staff in large numbers near the protest sites and at various railway stations. Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala Division, G M Singh said that no train has been cancelled in view of the 'rail roko' agitation.
In Bhiwani district of Haryana, tracks will be blocked at four places, including at Siwani and Loharu, a farmer leader from the district said. In Ambala, farmers gathered near railway tracks at Shahpur village, about two kilometres from the Ambala Cantt railway station. Four trains are scheduled to pass through Ambala between 12 pm and 4 pm, railway officials said. - PTI
Ferozepur division to halt trains at stations
Farmers under banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Samiti block railway track at Talwandi Nepalan in Punjab's Ferozepur.
The Ferozepur division of the Northern Railways has decided to halt trains at stations so that passengers face less inconvenience during the 'rail roko' protest.
The officials said that the movement of trains is likely to be delayed because of the farmers' rail blockade. Train services will be resumed after following due security protocols once the agitation is over, they said. - PTI
Delhi Police steps up security near tracks
Police personnel patrol at New Ghaziabad railway station during a four-hour 'rail roko' demonstration across the country as part of their agitation against Centre's farm reform laws, in Ghaziabad on February 18, 2021.
The Delhi Police tightened security in several parts of the national capital, especially near railway tracks, in view of the “rail roko” (rail blockade) called by the farmer groups protesting against the Centre’s new agri laws, officials said.
According to a senior police officer, additional staff has been deployed at several points near railway tracks and patrolling has also been increased. - PTI
Published - February 18, 2021 01:08 pm IST
