Punjab: NH-52 traffic restored as Khanauri protest site cleared
Farmers had been staging a sit-in at Shambhu and Khanauri barriers since February 13 last year after their march to Delhi was blocked by security forces at Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
The traffic on the National Highway-52 at Khanauri resumed on Friday a day after the National Highway-44 (Shambhu border) was opened post detention of protesting farmers besides removal of temporary structures and tractor-trolleys, officials said.
Farmers had been staging a sit-in at Shambhu and Khanauri barriers since February 13 last year after their march to Delhi was blocked by security forces at Shambhu and Khanauri border points. Their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest was centered around multiple demands, including a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The police said the NH-52 was made functional at 6.30 pm. The move has come as a big relief for commuters as they had to travel through villages to circumvent the farmers’ blockade. Though farmers were removed from the protest site on Wednesday night during the crackdown, it took two days for the Punjab Police to remove over 500 trolleys and 200 tractors. Besides, the police had to remove makeshift houses erected by the protesting farmers during the year-long protest.
Confirming the development, Patiala range DIG Mandeep Sidhu said, “Police personnel worked day and night to clear the highway. The debris of the makeshift arrangement has been removed and the highway is fully functional now.”
He added that police force would remain deployed at the restored protest site to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Farmers won’t be allowed to gather again, he said.
Regarding the tractor and trolleys at the protest site, DIG Mandeep Sidhu said nearly 50% of tractor trolleys had already been handed over to farmers after verifying their credentials.
He added that more farmers would take their tractor trolleys and other belongings in the coming days.
Hundreds of farmers, including Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher among others, were detained on Wednesday as the police began crackdown to free the protest sites. The AAP had said reopening the roads was necessary to protect the state’s economy.
