E-Paper
Farm leaders stage sit-in at Ladhowal toll plaza in Ludhiana
The Ladowal toll plaza remained free for vehicles passing through it from 11 am to 2 pm; due to the protest, only a few lanes were spared for vehicles to pass, causing massive traffic congestion on adjacent roads
Different farmers’ unions staged a protest at Ladhowal toll plaza on Thursday, extending their support to the ongoing farmers’ agitation on the Punjab-Haryana borders.
The Ladowal toll plaza remained free for vehicles passing through it from 11 am to 2 pm. Due to the protest, only a few lanes were spared for vehicles to pass, causing massive traffic congestion on adjacent roads.
Leaders of Bhartiya Kisan Union Kadiyan Amarjeet Singh and Santokh Singh strongly criticised both the Central and Punjab governments for their indifference towards farmers’ issues.
Amarjeet, district president of BKU, Jalandhar, emphasised that the toll plaza’s free passage aimed to exert additional pressure on the authorities.
“The government is resorting to high-handed tactics against farmers, deploying barricades on roads to obstruct our movement. But farmers are determined not to back down. In the coming days, we will escalate our agitation,” he said.
Santokh Singh Sandhu, a member of the state committee of Kirat Kisan Union, highlighted the imposition of hefty fines on many vehicles during the farmers’ protest. He affirmed that if fines were not refunded, the duration of the sit-in protests would be extended.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a meeting on February 18 to decide on the future course of action.
Bus service affected (Box)
More than 32 buses of PRTC and 10 buses of Punjab Roadways on the Delhi, Ambala and Hisar routes were cancelled.
“We have assigned our Delhi and Ambala route buses to Ganganagar, Patiala and other stations as all the buses of Delhi route were cancelled,” Ranjit Bagga, general manager, Punjab Roadways, said.
Deepinder Pal, manager, Ladhowal toll plaza said, “It was peak hour. NHAI faced a loss of around ₹20- 25 lakh due to strike by the farm unions.”
