March 26, 2011 9:02 PM

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Jats suspend agitation; rail traffic nomalises in UP, Haryana and Rajasthan

The Jat Arakashan Sangarsh Samiti has suspended its agitation for six months in view of the assurances given by the Centre and the Haryana Government. President of the Samiti Yashpal Malik told AIR Lucknow correspondent this afternoon that this was decided at a meeting of the core group of the Samiti held today at Hissar in Haryana. He said a Jat Mahapanchayat will be held tomorrow at Kafurpur in Jyotiba Phule Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. Jat leaders from different states including Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are likely to participate. Mr. Malik said it has also been decided that a Jat Jagaran Yatra will start next month from Amritsar in Punjab. In Haryana, the Jat leaders have started lifting their dharnas from the railway tracks. They have already vacated the rail tracks at Panipat, Jind, Narvana, Hissar, Sadulpur and several other towns. A prominent Haryana Jat leader Hawa Singh Sangwan said the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has accepted their demand to constitute a Backward Class Commission within a month to consider their demands for reservation in the OBC quota. He said the cases registered against the agitators would be withdrawn. In a statement in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister announced the setting up of the Haryana Backward class commission within a month. The Commission will consider the demand of communities of Roar, Jat, Jat Sikh, Tyagi, Bishnoi and others who wish to come under the ambit of the backward classes.In New Delhi, the Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai reviewed the law and order situation as well as road and rail traffic movement with top civil and Police officials of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan in the wake of Jat agitation. The meeting was held in the backdrop of the Supreme Court and High Courts' directives to the state governments to ensure free flow of water and other essential items like milk, dairy products and vegetables to the national capital.Road and Rail traffic is normal in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh while in Haryana rail traffic will normalise by tonight as agitators are lifting dharna from the tracks. Special arrangements are also being made including supply of coal to start the Panipat Power Plant which remains closed for the last ten days due to agitation.The Jat Arakashan Sangarsh Samiti had started agitation 20 days ago seeking reservation in Central Government jobs under OBC quota. The agitation badly affected rail and road transport in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The Supreme Court and the Allahabad High Court had directed the Centre as well as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan governments to ensure undisrupted rail and road traffic. After Allahabad High Court intervention, Jat agitators had removed their blockade from rail tracks in Jyotiba Phule Nagar under Moradabad rail division, in Uttar Pradesh. The Jats are demanding OBC status for their community and reservation in government jobs.

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