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Commuters harassed as farmers block highways in Mohali demanding timely paddy procurement
The protest led to traffic congestion from 11am to 3pm across highways in Lalru, Kurali, Kharar, and Mohali. The snarled traffic delayed commuters for hours. The protest also caused a 5km tailback on the Ambala highway.
The farmers on Friday blocked key highways in response to the Punjab government’s failure to ensure timely procurement of paddy and adequate supplies of essential fertilisers.
The protest led to traffic congestion from 11am to 3pm across highways in Lalru, Kurali, Kharar, and Mohali. The snarled traffic delayed commuters for hours. The protest also caused a 5km tailback on the Ambala highway.
In Lalru, farmers gathered in scores and completely blocked the Chandigarh-Ambala highway.
The Mohali police had prepared diversions from Zirakpur towards Nada Sahib to Ambala, yet many vehicles entering the protest zone before 11am became stranded.
A senior police officer noted that despite diversion attempts, the vehicles that had already entered the area were effectively trapped once the blockade began.
The farmers were dissatisfied with the government’s arrangements for paddy procurement and crop lifting.
Many farmers said that sold paddy was still lying in the markets, uncollected for days or even weeks. They also highlighted severe shortages of DAP fertiliser, essential for the upcoming wheat sowing season.
The unavailability of DAP, which is neither reaching cooperative societies nor available in shops, has put the farmers in a difficult position.
The protests reached a focal point at the Bhago Majra Barampur grain market where farmers raised slogans against the state and Centre.
They also staged a separate three-hour blockade on the Landran-Banur main road, allowing only essential vehicles like school buses and ambulances to pass while all other vehicles remained stuck.
During the protest, farmer union leaders accused the government of neglect and alleged that they were being forced to personally guard their crops in the markets for as long as 15 days.
