BATHINDA: Taking their protests for compensation for damage to crops due to floods and Minimum Support Price (MSP) to all farmers, the 19 farmer organizations disrupted rail traffic at three more places on Friday. This brings the total number of rail blockades to 20, up from 17 on the first day of protests. They also announced plans to halt train services in Ambala on Saturday and observe Farmer Dussehra on October 23 and 24 by burning effigies of the Narendra Modi government and corporate entities across six states.The ongoing protests, which entered the second day on Friday, have forced Northern Railways to cancel nearly 100 trains and modify routes. The new protest sites added on Friday include Malout in Muktsar, Faridkot, and Samrala. These sites join existing protests in various districts, and the demonstrations are expected to continue until September 30.The farmer organizations initially engaged in talks with senior police officers on September 4 regarding their demands related to flood relief and MSP implementation. When these discussions yielded unsatisfactory results, representatives from 16 farmer organizations announced their intention to disrupt rail traffic in Punjab for three days starting on September 28. They also staged protests at the beginning of the G20 summit on September 9.The farmers had previously called for a protest in Chandigarh starting on August 22, but police actions in Punjab and Haryana prevented them from reaching the city. During these clashes, a farmer named Pritam Singh lost his life in Longowal, Sangrur.Sarwan Singh Pandher, the General Secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, stated that the railway track protests are just the first step, and further actions will be considered if the government does not address their demands.Key demands of the farmer organizations include a special package of ?50,000 crore for flood-affected states, a permanent solution for the Ghaggar rivulet, ?50,000 compensation per acre for crop damage, ?1 lakh compensation for cattle deaths, and compensation for property and tube well damage. They also demand a one-year waiver of all farmer loans and interest and legal guarantees for MSP on crops.

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