Dasuya ( Hoshiarpur ): Sugarcane growers lifted their 33-hour blockade from the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway and the railway tracks at 7.30pm on Sunday, after officials gave them in writing that they had accepted their demands, which included release of pending Rs 450-crore payments from last year. The blockade has affected 40 trains on Saturday and running of the same number on Sunday again.Even as farmers organizations had warned of block the highway and rail traffic around a week ago, the state government had failed to react in time. Cane growers led by Bhartiya Kissan Union Doaba, Gana Sangharash Committee Dasuya, Lok Bhalai Insaaf Welfare Society and Majha Sangharash Committee had blocked National Highway 44, which connects the two cities, at 10:30am on Saturday. After around two hours, they blocked the neaby railway tracks too.While railway traffic to Pathankot and Jammu was diverted through Amritsar, road traffic was diverted through through villages. While officials tried to persuade the protesters through verbal promises, farmers said the government had never delivered on such assurances earlier. “Issues remained unresolved even as several meetings have been held with senior government functionaries. The state government failed to resolve these issues and forced the farmers to resort to a direct agitation,” said Lok Bhalai Insaaf Welfare Society president Baldev Singh Sirsa.Farmers had arranged langar at the dharna site and said the duration for them would not be a problem if the state government would not heed to their demands.On Sunday evening, Hoshiarpur deputy commissioner Vipul Ujjwal and Jalandhar zone IG Naunihal Singh negotiated with farmers as they were also speaking to state government officials in Chandigarh.“We have been assured that Rs 20 crore would be released in a week and private mills would start crushing sugarcane from November 25. A final decision on state-assured price (SAP) would to be taken on Monday and the cane commissioner would also meet farmers in Hoshiarpur on Monday about the pending dues of Rs 250 crore,” said Bhartiya Kisan Union Doaba president Manjit Singh Rai.

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