E-Paper
Farmers skip meeting called by panel to clear Kundli Singhu blockade
The high-powered panel was constituted to clear the farmers’ blockade at Kundli Singhu border; a Noida resident had moved the apex court contending that due to the blockade, it has become a nightmare to travel to Delhi as the commute time has increased to two hours instead of the normal 20 minutes.
Leaders of various farm unions on Sunday skipped the meeting with Haryana government’s high-powered committee, constituted to clear the blockade at Kundli-Singhu border, on National Highway-44.
The high-powered committee, headed by additional chief secretary (home) Rajeev Arora, and comprising DGP PK Agrawal, Sonepat DC Lalit Siwach, ADGP Sandeep Khirawar, special secretary Balkar Singh, Jhajjar SP and DC, had called the meeting at Murthal.
“Though farmers did not attend the meeting, industrialists of Sonepat and Bahadurgarh were in attendance and they spoke about the losses they suffered due to the blockade,” said additional chief secretary (home) Rajeev Arora.
“We will talk to the protesting farmers. If required, we will visit the Singhu protest site to hold a meeting with the representatives of farmers,” he added.
Sonepat deputy commissioner Lalit Siwach said he had extended the meeting invitation to 43 Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders, after the Supreme Court asked the central and state governments to coordinate to ensure that inter-state roads and national highways do not remain blocked due to farmers’ protest.
“The industrialists said they had lost nearly ₹50 crore due to the ongoing farmers’ protest,” Siwach added.
Bhog Singh Mansa, a farmer leader, said the Sonepat administration had sent an invite for the meeting, but they had boycotted it. “The top court had not given any directions to farmers and no farmer was party to the matter. The apex court had only directed the Centre and states to give passage to the common man,” he added.
He claimed the state and central governments are stopping them from moving towards Delhi.
“The roads have not been blocked by us, but by the Delhi Police by placing concrete barriers,” Mansa further added.
A Noida resident, Monicca Agarwaal, had moved the apex court contending that due to the blockade, it has become a nightmare to travel to Delhi as the commute time has increased to two hours instead of the normal 20 minutes. She stated hat despite multiple directions passed by the apex court, the passage has not been cleared.
