The commuters on the national highway 1 linking Delhi with parts of Haryana and Punjab faced a tough time on Friday in the wake of protest by farmers unions at different places across Haryana.
The protest was to condemn farmers’ killing in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur and the farmers were demanding implementation of Swaminathan report and loan waiver.
The protesting farmers parked their tractors on NH 1 and squatted on the road despite the sweltering heat for about three hours on Fridayafternoon.
The farmers blocked NH 1 near the Anaj Mandi (grain market) at Ambala in Haryana, around 45 km from here. Blockades were also witnessed at Rohtak and Panipat districts.
Though the local administrations and police had made diversions due to protest, the vehicular movement was disrupted at different places, mainly in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sonepat, Hisar and Sirsa in the state.
There were reports of vehicular traffic towards Rohtak being diverted from Gohana. Traffic on the road going from Chandigarh to Hisar and Hisar-Jind road was also diverted.
The farmers are demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, loan waiver for debt-ridden farmers, enhanced minimum support price (MSP) on crops, dismissal of Madhya Pradesh Government and strict action against police personnel who had opened fired on farmers in Mandsaur during a protest.
Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni, while talking to the mediapersons said that the BKU has blocked the highway to protest against the policies of the BJP led Central Government. We have protested peacefully and we will not budge till the central government accepts our demands.”
Before 2014 elections, the BJP had promised to implement Swaminathan report. The recommendations in the Swaminathan report should be implemented immediately now, said he.
Chaduni said that we also demand loan waiver for farmers and enhanced MSP on crops.
He said the decision to block traffic was also taken to protest the killing of six farmers in police firing in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh and alleged failure of the government to provide relief to the farming community.
In case, the BJP government does not accept our demands, the farmers will intensify their agitation in the coming days, added the union leader.
The farming community under various farmers’ outfits also held protest demonstrations at Ambala, Hisar, Jind, Panipat, Sirsa, Rohtak among other places in the state to press for their demands.
The opposition parties, including Congress and Indian National lok Dal (INlD), have also lent their support to the agitating farmers.
Heavy police presence was deployed at various places in Haryana to maintain law and other in view of the protest by farmers and opposition parties.
Four companies of Central Reserve Police Force was deployed in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Sonepat and Jind besides the State police.