Title - ABOHAR-FAZILKA RAIL LINK: Indefinite stir enters 8th day

Abohar : The indefinite dharna organised by the NGO, India Against Corruption (IAC), at the railway complex here entered its eighth day on Sunday.The spokesman of the IAC, Radhey Shyam Sharma, said indefinite fast would be the next course of action. The NGO is demanding that besides making the long awaited Abohar-Fazilka rail link operational, potable drinking water should be made available at the railway station as high content of fluorides have been found in the water supplied by taps at present.A team of the railway officials from Bathinda reached here and got two water connections sanctioned by the Municipal Council. It will, however, take some time as estimates are to be approved by the divisional office of the railways at Ambala.The IAC said the construction of the rail track had been completed with a budgeted cost of Rs 214 crore last year with the project hanging fire for about eight years. Mamata Bannerji, the then railway minister, had in her budget speech announced the 54559/60 Bathinda-Abohar-Fazilka fast passenger train. The same was listed in the time-table also.This year, Dinesh Trivedi had in his rail budget speech, announced the Ferozepur-Fazilka-Abohar-Sriganganagar express train. The IAC alleged that the railway officials had succumbed to pressure from the powerful road transport lobby as the passengers will have to pay less than Rs 10 as rail fare whereas bus travel costs Rs 23.Former MP Virendra Kataria informed that he explained the situation during a meeting with the railway minister Mukul Roy at his camp office. Roy was told that 125 staff members were to be deployed at four railway stations to make the track operational but the officials were delaying it. This prevents final checking of the track by the Chief Security Officer based at Lucknow.Madan Lal Bhalotia, a member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) said he raised the issue during the meeting held yesterday. The Divisional Railway Manager (Ambala) Pardeep Kumar Sanghi assured to take up the issue with the senior railway authorities. Bhalotia warned that the railways might face a "Jat Andolan" like stir if immediate steps are not taken to make the Abohar-Fazilka rail link operational. It is strategically important too since two cantonments based at Udhampur (J&K) and Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) would be linked by it, bringing relief to the Army.Pramil Kalani, chief of the Rail Sangharsh Samiti, said a meeting of the NGOs has been called for next Sunday (May 27) to consider a proposal for the rail roko stir. Activists from Fazilka and Sriganganagar have also been invited to participate. "We are determined to launch a do-or-die stir if railways ignore the demand," he indicated.The ongoing stir got a boost on Sunday when the CLP leader Sunil Jakhar along with city Congress president BL Nagpal, veteran Gandhian, senior councillor Vimal Thatai, PCC delegate Naresh Khurana and scores of other workers, marched to the railway complex to extend support to the demand.