‘CHAKKA JAM’ WON’T IMPACT DELHI, SAY FARMER LEADERS

NEW DELHI: The three-hour ’chakka jam’ on Saturday afternoon to protest against the three farm laws will not impact Delhi and the national capital region (NCR), Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmers unions which is spearheading the agitation, said on Friday. Farm leader Rakesh Tikait also said on Friday that there will be no blockade in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“Only national and state highways across the country will be jammed from 12 noon to 3 pm. Emergency and essential services will not be stopped... All roads for entering into Delhi will remain open except where farmers’ protest sites are already located,” said a statement issued by Darshan Pal, a leader of SKM.

The chakka jam will be a part of a series of events scheduled by the farmers’ groups to press their demand for the repeal of the three contentious laws passed by the Parliament in September to deregulate agricultural trade.

Tikait said farmers in UP and Uttarakhand will only submit memorandums to the administration. He said they will be on “standby” in case they are needed to rush to Delhi’s borders at a short notice.

“They (farmers in UP and Uttarakhand) can be called to Delhi (borders) anytime and they need to be on standby,” Tikait told a news channel.

Tikait’s associate, Arjun Balyan Tikait, said the decision to keep UP and Uttarakhand was also taken in view of the sugarcane cultivation season.

The statement issued by the SKM did not mention Tikait’s claim. While Darshan Pal remained unavailable for queries, one of his team members said that there was no conflict.

“Farmers in some parts will not be involved in chakka jam as they are harvesting cane. In some states, the am will be much more intense as farmers there will block internal roads as well,” said SKM media coordinator, Harinder. HTC