Farmers’ march: Delhi-Chandigarh highway sealed at Ambala

Haryana Police have diverted traffic at Karnal and Kurukshetra, but due to movement of commercial vehicles and buses, alternative routes are choked, too

The Haryana government on Monday sealed the key New Delhi-Chandigarh national highway by putting up concrete jersey barriers at Sadoupur in Ambala district and deploying paramilitary forces on the border with Punjab’s Mohali district to thwart the farmers’ Dilli Chalo march on Tuesday.

A barricaded road as security was tightened at the Ambala-Kaithal bypass ahead of the farmers’ march to Delhi on February 13. (ANI Photo)

The stretch is also a part of the Hisar-Chandigarh road (NH-152) that passes through Kaithal, Ambala City, Lalru and Zirakpur, leading to traffic buildup on the route to the state capital. This route sees frequent movement of ambulances as Chandigarh is a health hub for the region with cases being referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, besides private tertiary healthcare institutions.

The sealing of the key highway will affect daily commuters between Ambala and Chandigarh.

The government’s decision to seal the border with Punjab came two days after it partially closed the entry of vehicles, allowing traffic to ply in a single lane after checking by security forces. The move led to heavy traffic congestion.

The Ambala-Patiala border at Shambhu Ghaggar flyover at NH-44 (Panipat-Jalandhar) or GT Road and several link roads with Patiala were also sealed in the past two days to thwart movement of farmers to Delhi.

The Haryana Police have issued a traffic advisory and diverted vehicles at Karnal and Kurukshetra, but due to the movement of commercial vehicles and buses, the alternative routes are choked, too.

Police sources said that the highways were sealed in advance in view of intelligence inputs that farmers from Punjab might move towards Delhi a day before February 13. However, videos released by farmer unions show prominent leaders are still in Punjab.

Farmers’ unions from Punjab and Haryana under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (apolitical) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) have announced that they will march towards the national capital via Ambala in support of their demand for higher minimum support price (MSP).

All eyes are now on the meeting of three Union ministers with farmers unions in Chandigarh on Monday evening. The next course of action will be decided on the outcome of the meeting, Tejveer Singh said, adding that tractors have started moving from different areas of Punjab.

Yamunanagar deputy commissioner Manoj Kumar has imposed prohibitory orders in the district as a preventive measure. So far, 15 of the 22 districts of Haryana have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC to maintain law and order.