ALL RAIL TRACKS CLEARED OF PROTESTERS: PUNJAB, CENTRE TO HIGH COURT

CHANDIGARH : The Centre and Punjab governments on Tuesday told Punjab and Haryana high court that all the rail tracks have been cleared by the protesters.

Both the governments told the court that Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (Piddi group) protesters in Amritsar too have vacated the rail tracks and are sitting in neighbouring parks etc. They have promised to allow goods trains but have not agreed to let the passenger trains pass through, additional solicitor general Satya Pal Jain told the HC. Punjab’s lawyer also maintained the same. However, the lawyer for protesters said that the tracks have been cleared and the farmers are sitting in a nearby park and now trains can be run.

Seeking directions to Punjab and Haryana governments to clear roads of protesters, one of the lawyers, Arvind Seth, also brought up the issue of farmers blocking the Chandigarh- Delhi highway near the national capital border and demanded that they should also be made a party to the case.

The high court bench of chief justice RS Jha and justice Arun Palli has adjourned the hearing until December 16. This plea pertains to issues raised by a number of petitioners to remove blockades on roads and rail tracks by protesters.

Meanwhile in the second hearing seeking the discharge of farmer leaders detained by the Haryana government last week, the latter apprised the court that all the farm leaders had been released. The court was also informed that the claims of the petitioner’s lawyer that farmers were being asked to deposit Rs 1.50 lakh as surety mount for securing release were wrong and only in one case a leader was asked to deposit Rs 50,000 in Fatehabad. In other cases, personal surety ranged between Rs 10,000 to 30,000, said Haryana additional advocate general Deepak Sabharwal.

The court has now asked Haryana to respond by December 18 to the issues raised by the petitioner, Haryana Progressive Farmers Union-Sabka Mangal Ho, in which the body is alleging that there was no justification for arrests and farmers have been treated like criminals.