Bharat Bandh hits traffic, rail services
CHANDIGARH: Farmers blocked national highways and other key roads at many places in Punjab and Haryana, and squatted on railway tracks at several locations disrupting road and rail traffic as part of their nationwide protest against the Centre’s new farm laws.
According to the Samkyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the farmers’ stir, Bharat Bandh is being observed from 6 am to 6 pm to mark four months of the farmers’ agitation at Delhi’s three borders — Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri.
Shops remained closed at several places in Punjab. At a few places in Haryana too shops were shuttered in support of the Bharat Bandh. Public and private transport remained off the roads in Punjab.
In neighbouring Haryana, State Transport Minister Moolchand Sharma told PTI that Haryana Roadways bus services will be suspended in those districts where it is felt that it is not conducive to operate them in view of the farmers’ protest.
“Bus services are otherwise functional in Haryana,” he said.
Since morning, farmers in the two states gathered at several highways and roads, including in Bathinda, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Mohali, Rohtak, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Jhajjar, Jind, Panchkula, Kaithal, Yamunanagar and Bhiwani districts. Farmer union leaders said they were allowing ambulances and other emergency vehicles as well as marriage processions to pass.
In view of the ‘Holla Mohalla’ festival at Sri Anandpur Sahib, vehicles carrying devotees were being allowed to commute. The protesters have even arranged ‘langar’ at the protest sites.
Haryana BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni, in a video message on Friday, appealed to the protesting farmers to ensure the smooth passage of essential supplies or even sick persons travelling in private vehicles or those travelling in neighbouring areas.
“We have to protest peacefully,” Chaduni said.
The Bharat Bandh had its effect on rail services in Punjab and Haryana.
Protesters squatted on railway tracks at several locations, including in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Ambala, Jind, Jhajjar, Panchkula and some other districts in the two states, leading to disruption of rail traffic.
Some of the protesters blocked the Ambala-Delhi highway near Ambala Cantonment badly affecting the service on the route.
A group of protesters squatted on railway tracks near Shahpur village, around five kilometres from Ambala Cantonment, due to which all the trains running between Delhi and Saharanpur were stranded, railway officials said.
At Karnal railway station, the New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express was stranded due to blockade by farmers in Ambala.
“Due to the pandemic, one is going through difficult times. Now, to remain stranded at a railway station for hours with small children is quite difficult. Trains on this route should have been cancelled for today to avoid passenger inconvenience,” said a woman passenger travelling with her two children.
The agitating farmers blocked several key roads, including Chandigarh-Delhi, Amritsar-Delhi, Hisar-Delhi and Bhiwani-Delhi national highways. They parked their tractors and other vehicles in the middle of the carriageways. They also blocked the Ambala-Rajpura Highway on the Haryana-Punjab border near Shambhu barrier, and the Ambala-Hisar Highway near Ambala City.