People from more than 20 villages around the Singhu and Tikri border adjoining Delhi on Thursday met Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and apprised him about the problems being faced by them due to blockades on border roads. The Singhu and Tikri border in Sonipat district have been blocked for more than ten months due to ongoing farmers’ protest against three central farm laws.
Under the leadership of Nationalist Parivartan Manch president Hemant Nandal, the villagers also handed over a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding to open the roads at the earliest. After giving a patient hearing to their problems, the Chief Minister said that the government is making every possible effort to re-open the borders while maintaining law and order. He said that the State Government intends to open the roads by maintaining peace. Today itself, the Supreme Court has asked the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha to be made a party in the petition for reopening the blocked border roads, he added. Khattar also said that he is also worried about the loss being caused to the traders and shopkeepers due to the closure of roads. The Chief Minister said that to fix the link roads passing through the villages, work would be done on priority by giving orders to the concerned departments. The Court's decision in this regard is expected to come on October 4, after which he will meet the Union Home Minister and soon, the situation will be normal, Khattar said.
The affected villages from the area apprised the Chief Minister that due to the closure of the roads, they have even come to the verge of almost closing their businesses. They said that the business of shopkeepers and showroom owners near the border has come to a complete standstill. The situation is so grave that people are even forced to migrate.
The villagers also demanded increased police patrolling during both day and night. On which the Chief Minister said that the patrolling of the police would be increased immediately. They also claimed that due to the closure of roads on the border, children from nearby villages have stopped going to schools. The future of the children is also badly affected, the villages added.
Many transporters who had also visited to meet the Chief Minister with the delegation said that due to the closure of the roads, the transport work has also come to a complete standstill. The main road is closed, while the condition of the surrounding roads is so bad that vehicles are damaged every day.