Bandh evokes partial response in HP, traffic disruptions reported on borders

SHIMLA: The ‘Bharat Bandh’ call by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) against the three contentious farm laws evoked a partial response in Himachal Pradesh with reports of traffic disruptions on borders and Shimla town.

A majority of the shops and commercial establishments in the state remained open while the various farm unions staged peaceful protest in part of the state.

Himachal SKM blocked the traffic at Victory Tunnel in Shimla and raised slogans against the central and state governments.

The president of Himachal

Pradesh Kisan Sabha, Kuldeep Tanwar, said the farmers have been agitating for the past nine months but the central government is still ignoring their demands.

“The farmers unions have been protesting against this adamant attitude of the central government and demands to withdraw the three farm laws, which are not in favour of farmers but would benefit the friends of the Prime Minister,” he said.

Speaking in the context of Himachal, Tanwar said the apple farmers were in deep crises as they were not getting reasonable price for their produce.

The state government has failed to provide a relief to the farmers of the state. He said the Himachal government should implement the Market Intervention

Scheme (MIS) and fix minimum support price (MSP) for apple crop on the analogy of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the state farmers also demand the government to procure apple, barley, maize and wheat crop through National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).

He said the he farmers’ movement will continue till the government repeals the three antifarmer laws.

Tanwar said a joint forum of all the farmers unions, eight trade unions and students’ organisations participated in the bandh.

Various farm unions led by CPIM legislator Rakesh Singha also blocked the NH at Theog.

The protest, however, remained peaceful.