The impact of the ‘Punjab Bandh’ called by farmers was felt in adjoining areas of Haryana including Ambala. The protesting farmers blocked the Ambala-Chandigarh expressway at Dappar toll plaza, hitting traffic on the key Chandigarh-Delhi highway on Monday.
The agitators gathered in large numbers at the toll plaza near Gholu Majra village in Dera Bassi town of Mohali district at 7am. To avoid inconvenience to commuters, Ambala police issued a traffic advisory for those travelling on the Chandigarh-Delhi, Hisar-Chandigarh and Ambala-Chandigarh routes. Earlier, travellers were advised to take the alternative route via Panchkula, Barwala, Mullana, Yamunanagar, Radaur, Ladwa and join National Highway-44 at Pipli or at Karnal. The Ambala-Chandigarh rail section was also blocked near Lalru station in Mohali district.
In view of the protest, the Northern Railways on Sunday issued a list of 221 trains that would be impacted due to protests in Punjab. It cancelled 150 trains operating under its Delhi, Ambala and Ferozepur divisions involving trains operating in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The railways had cancelled the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (12006), Chandigarh-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (12046), New Delhi-Amb Andaura-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express (22447/48), while the Ajmer-Chandigarh-Ajmer Vande Bharat Express (20977/78) is operating till Delhi Cantt station. The Daulatpur Chowk-New Delhi Jan Shatabdi Express (12058) was short-originated at Ambala Cantt station.
The Railways also partially cancelled seven trains, regulated 14 others, rescheduled 13 trains, short-originated 15 trains and short-terminated 22 trains. Officials at the Ambala division said that no train is moving beyond Ambala Cantt station due to the blockade at Lalru and Shambhu stations. Due to the disruption, passengers were left to bear the brunt of delays and cancellations in the harsh cold.
Hundreds of daily commuters travelling through buses from Ambala to Chandigarh, Mohali, Patiala and other nearby cities of Punjab were thrown off stride because of the shutdown. Amrita Singh, who commutes every day from Ambala to Zirakpur for her work, was witnessed waiting for a bus at Ambala Cantt in Haryana. All buses going towards Chandigarh from Ambala were too crowded, she said. Many outsiders studying in various coaching centres in Chandigarh faced a tough time reaching their destinations. Hundreds of farmers have been protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border demanding a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
