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Visitors locked inside for 2 hours as farmers gherao GMADA office in Mohali
Amrinder Singh Tiwana, additional chief administrator, GMADA, agreed to the farmers’ demand of holding a meeting with senior officers before February 10
People visiting GMADA office in Phase 8 on Tuesday were blocked from leaving the building for two hours after 50 farmers gheraoed the premises, demanding allotment of showrooms against land acquired by the development authority for Aerocity in 2010.
To prevent the farmers from entering the building, who arrived riding tractors, security guards locked the main gates, also restricting visitors’ exit. While some visitors scaled the walls to leave, others were forced to wait inside for at least two hours.
Nanki Kaur, 65, a visitor, was seen pleading with farmers to allow her to exit, but farmers expressed helplessness, citing that the gates were closed from inside by the security.
“I am already facing harassment as I am going from pillar to post at the GMADA office to get my work done for several days and now I am stuck inside the building. It’s been over an hour, but no official has turned up to resolve the matter even when the public is being harassed,” Kaur said.
Gurmit Singh, Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal), block president, Kharar, accused the officials of not giving them a hearing despite enduring years of harassment.
“We had no intentions of a protest. We came just to hand over a memorandum to the GMADA chief administrator. But we were not allowed to meet him and the gates were locked from inside. It was not us who harassed people, but GMADA officials,” he said.
The protest ended after Amrinder Singh Tiwana, additional chief administrator, GMADA, received the memorandum from the protesters.
Tiwana agreed to the farmers’ demand of holding a meeting with senior GMADA officers before February 10. DSP HS Bal also reached the spot to pacify the farmers.
Meanwhile, another farmer leader, Nachhatar Singh Baidwan, said, “We will block key roads in the city and stage a protest outside GMADA office on February 16 if our demands are not met.”
