AMRITSAR, April 17 -- Farmers' organisations affiliated to Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (Punjab chapter) announced a three-hour 'rail roko' protest on April 17, demanding the commencement of wheat procurement and relaxation in norms following widespread crop damage due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms. According to the announcement made by KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, railway traffic across Punjab will be blocked from 12 noon to 3 pm on April 17 if procurement operations don't start immediately with relaxed quality norms. The blockade is expected to take place at multiple locations across districts, including Amritsar, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Barnala, Tarn Taran, Moga, Patiala, Mansa, Ferozepur, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Fazilka, Muktsarand Gurdaspur, potentially impacting train services across the state during the protest hours. The decision has been taken jointly by farm bodies affiliated with the SKM and the KMM (Punjab chapter), with support also coming from groups under the Azad Kisan Morcha. "The delay has led to wheat lying unsold in mandis, while farmers are being forced to accept price cuts by traders who are taking advantage of their distress," Pandher said. Farmer leaders said if their demands were not met, they will intensify the stir. The activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) staged a protest outside the office of the deputy commissioner in Bathinda and in other districts on Thursday against tardy wheat procurement. State senior vice-president Jhanda Singh Jethuke demanded compensation of Rs.50,000 per acre for farmers who suffered crop loss due to adverse weather. A delegation also met the Bathinda DC.HTC...