Tents, langar, shifts: At the back of stir, a well-oiled, disciplined device
| Shambhu (patiala) |
November 22, 2020 9:36:37 am
A langar in growth on the parking space of Shambhu Railway station. (information photograph by way of Gurmeet Singh)
IT’S Four AM, the air is cold, and the city of Shambhu is rapid asleep. However the moonlit parking space on the railway station is rife with process. The protesting farmers tenting there are getting in a position for a metamorphosis of shift. Quickly, 29 of them troop out.
Farmers from 10 unions had been tenting in and round this railway station for over 50 days now. Hazura Singh (57), block president of BKU (Rajewal) and leader organiser of this morcha, recounts how they first descended at the tracks close to the over bridge on October 1.
Protesting towards the 3 central farm regulations, farmers throughout Punjab blocked rail tracks for nearly 21 days. “There used to be a large number of anger and the gang used to swell to over 5,000 all over the day right here,” says Hazura. It began ebbing from October 21, when the 30 farmers’ unions of the state made up our minds to transparent the tracks for items trains. The protesters then moved to the platforms. Items trains ran for 3 days sooner than the Railways stopped them on October 24 at the plea that their workforce feared for his or her protection.
Confronted with an remarkable rail blockade, the state govt suggested the unions to transparent the platforms. “On November 5, we moved to the parking space, now we don’t ever input the platform, now not even to drink water. However the railways nonetheless accuse us of obstructing trains,” says Nathu Lal, former sarpanch of Gharma village.
Within the dusty railway station at the Punjab-Haryana border that used to hum with 280-odd freight and passenger trains all over the day and evening, a lone engine roars previous. A railways worker, who asked anonymity, says they’re busy with deep screening of the tracks by way of the engineering wing. “Now we have doubled the day-to-day screening time from 2 to 4-Five hours. Now we have already finished deep screening of the tracks from Rajpura to Shambhu,” he stated, including that the Delhi-Ludhiana-Jammu railway line passes via this station.
Outdoor, over a breakfast of aloo paratha and tea, a farmer asks, “If those engines can run round-the-clock, why can’t the products trains?”
To the Union railway ministry’s stand that they’re going to run each items and passenger trains concurrently, Ranjit Singh, a farmer, says: “Kisan di mooch da sawaal hai (It’s a query of a farmer’s pleasure). Our leaders have already stated that in the event that they run items trains, we will be able to permit passenger trains the very subsequent day if now not on the exact same day.”
With the mercury dipping, the farmers have grew to become the outdoor parking space right into a tented affair, entire with cushy bedding at the ground strewn with Punjabi newspapers.
A motley staff of railway and Punjab police staff stay a detailed watch on them. Two jawans from the Railway Coverage Power (RPF) and 3 from Govt Railway police (GRP) guy the station round-the-clock. ASI Jarnail Singh from GRP says, “This dharna has been non violent because the starting however we need to stay alert.” Suresh Kumar, head constable of RPF, consents, “They have got now not broken any assets of the railway station.”
Pointing to the police bandobast, a farmer, says, “They take our photos no less than 3 times an afternoon, and if any chief comes to deal with us, they report his speech.”
The law enforcement officials shrug. “It’s the protocol, we need to ship this data to the pinnacle administrative center on a daily basis.”
Come lunch time, one of the railway workforce take a seat down for the langar at the side of the 70-odd farmers and youngsters from the railways quarters within reach. These days it’s rumali roti with soya nuggets and potatoes. Diwali, the children say, noticed a large unfold with goodies galore.
Gurmail Singh from Bhunder Kalan village, who’s right here for the final 4 days, says morchas everywhere the state are run like a well-oiled equipment. “There’s a weekly roster for the farmers in addition to all of the 3 foods and tea. These days, as an example, the breakfast got here from the village of Hazura Singh.”
Surjan Singh from Akri village close to Patiala says this morcha is being run by way of 10 farmer organisations — BKU( Rajewal), BKU(Sidhupur), BKU(Dakaunda), Krantikari Kisan Union ( Punjab ), Krantikari Kisan Union (Phool) , Rashtriya Kisan Manch, All India Kisan Federation, All India Kisan Sabha, Indian Farmer Affiliation and Jamhoori Kisan Sabha.
Two contributors from every organisation are a part of the coordination and organisation committees, which dangle a gathering each morning and night.
The farmers on the morcha need to mark their attendance each morning and night. Each and every of the 10 unions sends 5 farmers every for the evening shift, says Surjan.
Breakfast is the leanest time of the day as many farmers go back to run day-to-day chores at house. The numbers swell up round midday, sooner than petering right down to round 46 after dinner at 7 pm.
The falling mercury does now not trouble those farmers. Balwinder Singh, 72, says, “We’re used to operating within the fields early within the morning, the chilly doesn’t scare us.”
As some farmers go to sleep, the dialog veers off to the proposed ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on November 26.
“If talks fail, we will be able to march to Delhi. Now we have over 2 lakh tractors, we will be able to gherao Delhi from both sides in the event that they don’t allow us to input,” bristles the wizened previous Jagtar Singh, 72, from Alamdi village of Patiala.
The ‘Dilli sarkar’, he says, will have to learn historical past: “Now we have by no means shied clear of a fight, that is about our land…We by no means demanded those acts, why is the PM forcing them on us.”
Ruldu Singh, any other aged farmer, who has been glued to information on his pocket radio, says the central govt will have to behave like a benevolent large brother: “Punjab has on the subject of 2 lakh vehicles which are making up for the trains. Centre will have to make a decision whether or not they want Punjab…What are they going to achieve after preventing trains?”
It’s one query that resonates around the 25 morcha websites close to more than a few railway stations around the state.
© The Indian information (P) Ltd
