Railways incur losses of Rs 1,200 crore due to farmer agitations in Punjab

Amid ongoing anti-farm bills agitation at 32 places in Punjab, the Indian Railways informed that it has suffered revenue losses of more than Rs 1,200 crores as freight operations remain suspended due to the blockages.

To date, more than 2,225 freight rakes could not be operated upon carrying vital commodities, the Railways said in a release.

Earlier, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had written to the Punjab government on October 26, 2020, seeking assurance about the safety of tracks and running staff to resume operations.]

Following the protests by farmers, over 1,350 passenger trains have been cancelled, diverted or short terminated to date.

"All passenger trains passing through the state of Punjab has been adversely impacted too. To date, more than 1,350 passenger trains have been cancelled, diverted or short terminated. This has caused tremendous inconvenience to travellers in COVID times," the Railways said.

All inward and outward goods transportation including essential commodities have been affected adversely in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

Rail Roko agitation was called for three days by farmer groups and unions on September 24, 2020, which later on continued to date.

(ANI)

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