Sangrur, Dec. 18 -- The Centre on Monday officially approved the stoppage of Ferozepur-Delhi Vande Bharat Express at the Barnala railway station. Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu confirmed that the demand for the stoppage had been long-standing and acknowledged the collective efforts of political representatives from the region. He said that Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer along with Rajya Sabha member Rajinder Gupta and former MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon had sought the halt at Barnala. "I had been urged by party members to prioritise this issue for commuters of Punjab, and to visit the state only after the stop is approved. The new stop will not only serve residents of Barnala but also those in adjoining districts of Malerkotla, Sangrur, and Mansa," Bittu said. This comes a month after AAP MP Meet Hayer announced a protest at Barnala demanding the stoppage of the train. Hayer said, "I had raised the issue in Parliament thrice as Barnala is at the centre of Malwa. I met Bittu on this and am grateful the Union government has approved the halt. Barnala shares borders with five other districts, making it the reason for higher footfall." Hayer also thanked Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. "It's a good decision. The train halt will benefit hundreds of villages and other nearby towns. It will connect them with the national capital," the MP added. It was not immediately known from which date the train would begin stopping there. At present, the Ferozepur-Delhi Vande Bharat Express stops at Faridkot, Bathinda, Dhuri, Patiala, Ambala Cantt, Kurukshetra and Panipat. It was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi on November 8 from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh along with three other Vande Bharat trains....