E-Paper
Won’t disrupt PM’s Panipat event, say farmers
At the meeting, a farmers’ delegation led by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) convener Sarwan Singh Pandher assured Ambala SP Surender Singh Bhoria that their march, to be conducted on foot, will not disrupt traffic movement in any way.
Ahead of the farmers’ scheduled march to Delhi on December 6, a coordination meeting was held between the protesting farmers and the Ambala district administration at the New Police Officer’s Institute in Ambala City on Monday.
At the meeting, a farmers’ delegation led by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) convener Sarwan Singh Pandher assured Ambala SP Surender Singh Bhoria that their march, to be conducted on foot, will not disrupt traffic movement in any way.
“He was informed about our march that we will move in jathas (groups) peacefully and without blocking the traffic. We will spend nights on the road but without any traffic blockade. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also coming on December 9, and we have no intention of disrupting his programme. On our way, if there are any (political) programmes, we won’t disrupt it too. Our motive is just to march to Delhi,” he added.
Pandher said that he is in support of the opening of Shambhu border that will bring normalcy for all, adding, “But it will remain intact till there is any understanding with the authorities and they allow us in Delhi.”
“We have asked for a protest site at Ramlila Ground or Jantar Mantar and if they agree, that is good. But if they stop us at the Singhu border, we will stage a dharna and the Shambhu protest site will shift to the Delhi border. We will try to ensure that our morcha goes on and the traffic is also not disrupted,” he said.
The farmer leader said that he doubts that there is some sort of misunderstanding between the authorities in Delhi and Haryana.
He also expressed hope that if the authorities believe in their call for a peaceful protest, they might be allowed to take their tractor-trailers with them as well.
Amarjeet Singh Mohri, president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), said that at the meeting, the delegation tried to clear doubts with the administration, and it was made clear that during the night, there will be no traffic disruption.
Meanwhile, SP Bhoria said that it was “a regular coordination meeting” called to discuss the details about their march.
“Several key points like traffic management, how many people will take part in their march and other issues were discussed in detail. We will arrange security arrangements in the coming days,” he added.
Mohri further disclosed that the farmers will walk for nearly 10-15 km and farmers from Haryana will make arrangements for their food and stay.
Members of BKU (SBS) have been actively participating in the ongoing protest since February along with the fellow activists of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) (non-political) and the KMM is preparing for the langar along the route.
BKU (SBS) spokesperson Tejveer Singh said that his union will be making all the arrangements at key points in Ambala like near Jaggi City Centre and Mohra grain market as well as near Khanpur Jattan and Pipli of Kurukshetra district and other locations in Karnal district.
The farmers have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
This time, Pandher clarified that their groups will only march from Shambhu.
The unions have already announced that since they were accused of using tractors to break barricades and indulge in violence, they decided to go to the National Capital to press for their demands on foot.
Besides a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), the farmers are demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.
