Bharat Bandh: Farmers' countrywide protest today to affect rail, road transport; check details

As farmers gear up for nationwide protests on Friday against the Centre's agriculture bills, rail and road transport will be affected due to the 'Bharat Bandh' called by the farmers' organisations.

The 'Bharat Bandh' comes a day after farmers’ bodies in Punjab and Haryana began a three-day ‘rail roko’ agitation to mark their protest against the farm bills. A total of 31 farmers’ organizations have extended their support to the call of a Bharat Bandh on Friday.

Rail transport to be affected

Keeping in view the farmers' agitation in Punjab against agriculture bills, some trains operated by Northern Railway will remain cancelled or partially cancelled, Deepak Kumar, Chief Public Relation Officers (CPRO) of the zone said.

The 04652 Amritsar-Jaynagar Express has been cancelled on September 25. Consequently, the 04651 Jaynagar-Amritsar Express will also remain cancelled on September 27.

The 02058/02057 New Delhi - Una Himachal special train journey commencing on September 25 will be short terminated at/short originate from Chandigarh.

The 02904 Amritsar-Mumbai Central Special train journey commencing on September 24, 25 and 26 will short originate from Ambala instead of journey commencing on September 25, 26 and 27.

Chakka jam across Punjab

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), who came at crossheads with its own alliance partner BJP over the bill, will observe a three-hour chakka jam (road blockade) from 11 am to 2 pm across Punjab.

Delhi-Haryana border may be sealed

Delhi Police is on high alert in wake of the protest and is likely to seal the Delhi-Haryana border to stop the protesters from marching towards the capital.

Different farmer organisations in Punjab have already given a call for a 'bandh' on September 25 in protest against the Bills. A farmers' body will hold 'rail roko' agitation from Thursday till Saturday to lodge their protest against the three agriculture ordinances passed by the Union Cabinet.

"We have decided to hold a rail roko agitation from September 24 to 26 against the three agriculture ordinances," said Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) will hold nationwide protests against the new farm Bills on Friday. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), All India Kisan Mahasangh (AIKM) and 10 other trade and farmer unions have come on a common platform and announced a nationwide shutdown on September 25 saying the BJP government should stop anti-farmers measures.

Protests are already taking place in Punjab and Haryana since the Bills were introduced in Lok Sabha on September 14, 2020, by Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar.

The Congress began its nearly two-month-long nationwide agitation from Thursday, against the passage of the Farm Bills during the monsoon session of Parliament.