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Farmers’ protest hits traffic on Chandigarh-Ambala highway
Farmers owing allegiance to Bharti Kisan Union Ekta (Sidhupur) squatted on the highway and parked their tractors along the road to push for financial package for losses incurred in recent floods, legal guarantee to MSP and relief from agricultural debt
Farmers in large numbers blocked the busy Chandigarh-Ambala national highway near Sarsini village in Lalru on Friday, throwing inter-state traffic out of gear.
Farmers owing allegiance to Bharti Kisan Union Ekta (Sidhupur) squatted on the highway and parked their tractors along the road to push for financial package for losses incurred in recent floods, legal guarantee to MSP and relief from agricultural debt.
Cops arrived at the scene and urged farmers to clear the blockade, but they refused to budge and continued to raise slogans. Traffic on both sides was eventually diverted through alternative routes.
Farmer leader Satnam Singh Behru said the protest will continue on September 30, as the government was not paying heed to their demands.
“The matter is between the government and the farmers. Why should commuters suffer? It is complete bureaucratic failure, as they have failed to resolve the issue with dialogue. Amid all this, it is the common man who is at the receiving end,” said Amarjit Singh, who was caught in the traffic snarl while heading to Zirakpur from Ambala.
Rajesh Khullar, who was visiting Ambala from Zirakpur, dropped his travel plan after witnessing the chaos: “Instead of taking alternative route, I decided to abandon the trip and returned home.”
Meanwhile, due to the farmers’ “rail roko” agitation, railways has announced cancellation of 17 trains, including New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat (22439/22440), on Saturday. However, train movement on the Chandigarh-Delhi route will not be affected.
The three-day protest called by farmers in Punjab’s Amritsar, led by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, began on Thursday and will continue till Saturday.
Operations of at least 104 trains were affected due to the farmers’ agitation in Punjab, Northern Railway said in its communication on Friday.
