Chakka Jam: Delhi-Chandigarh highway blocked at 3 places in Haryana

Protesting farmer unions have asked local farmers to ensure the Saturday protests remain peaceful and the movement of ambulances, marriage parties and media persons is allowed.

National Highway 44 has been blocked at Kurukshetra, Panipat and Karnal districts in Haryana as farmers carry out a 'chakka jam' protest against the three Central farm laws, said the police. Farmers have also blocked Panipat-Rohtak highway near Panipat, Hisar-Chandigarh highway at Kaithal and Pehowa, Karnal-Jind highway near Assandh.

Farmer unions have appealed to keep the protests peaceful. (Bloomberg)

Haryana police have diverted the traffic from NH 44 to alternative routes to avoid traffic jams.

The protestors said that the highway blockade will continue for three hours till 3pm. However, they said they had made arrangements for food and water for commuters stuck in traffic jams on one of the busiest highways of the country, which caters to around 40,000 vehicles daily.

Earlier heavy police deployment was made around Chandigarh-Delhi national highway 44.

The authorities tried to convince the protesting farmers not to block NH 44, which connects three states of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and three union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh with the national capital of Delhi, but the union leaders insisted on the blockade of all major national and Haryana state highways, forcing the authorities to divert the traffic from NH 44 to link roads.

He said instructions have been issued to local farmers to ensure protests remain peaceful and the movement of ambulances, marriage parties and media persons were allowed.

Following the vehicle-blockade call, Haryana ADGP Law and Order Navdeep Virk has asked all district superintendents of police to make necessary security arrangements at all traffic junctions and important roads.

The district administrations have made arrangements to avoid any face-off with the farmers, who have identified hundreds of locations, including 11 in Karnal district alone, to block the highways.

Karnal Superintendent of police, Ganga Ram Punia, said that police deployment has been made to prevent traffic jams and apart from release of a traffic advisory, arrangements have been made to divert the traffic on the link roads when the highways are blocked.

The traffic from NH 44 is being diverted from Bastara toll plaza to Kutail and Gharaunda. Kurukshetra district police have issued an advisory too, diverting traffic from several highways to the link roads.