A day after the Railways resumed train services in Punjab, the farmers on Tuesday blocked the railway track at the Jandiala railway station in Amritsar district. Following the fresh blockade, the trains are being diverted.
A railway ministry official, wishing not to be named, said the farmers blocked the entry of the Golden Temple Express at the Jandiala Railway station.
He said the train was diverted to Amritsar via Taran Taran station. It reached Amritsar station at 8.45 a.m.
The official said that the Amritsar District Collector and Senior Superintendent of Police failed to pacify the farmers.
Following the fresh blockade, four trains to Amritsar will run via diverted route, the official said.
He further said that the agitating farmers are only allowing goods train to pass through the Jalandhar-Amritsar route.
Only Jalandhar-Amritsar route is a problem as of now, while Jammu-Jalandhar route is clear, he added.
The Railways resumed the train services on Monday.
The farmers have been sitting on agitation in several parts of Punjab since September 24 over the three controversial agriculture laws passed in Parliament. They have been demanding the revocation of these laws.
Punjab CM invites ‘sulking’ Sidhu for lunch
Signalling an end to their “political differences”, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday invited former Cabinet minister Navjot Sidhu for lunch on Wednesday.
The two leaders have not seeing eye-to-eye for quite some time and the meeting is being seen in political circles as a bid to bury the hatchet.
The two leaders are expected to discuss state and national politics over the luncheon meeting, the Chief Minister’s Media Advisor Raveen Thukral said.
Sidhu has been lying low ever since his resignation from the state Cabinet in July last year.
Political observers told IANS the efforts of Congress’ state in charge Harish Rawat have borne results as he was instrumental in pacifying Sidhu.
He had called Sidhu a “national asset” because of his reputation as a crowd puller and hinted at a national role for him in the party.
Both Amarinder Singh and Sidhu shared the stage on November 4 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on the farmers’ issue where all Punjab Congress MLAs and ministers protested against the Union government over the recently-passed farm laws.
Sidhu greeted the Chief Minister before his speech, in which he said that the “Union government wants to suppress the voice of Punjab Chief Minister and MLAs and this will not be allowed”.
The Chief Minister reciprocated the gesture and mentioned Sidhu’s name. Sidhu and Amarinder Singh then attacked the Centre for favouring corporates over the existing system of ‘mandis’.