Punjab bandh: Farmers block roads; emergency services out of purview
Anyone travelling to the airport to catch a flight, or going to attend a job interview, or going to attend a wedding will not be stopped, say farmer leaders;
Farmers in Punjab have blocked roads at many places across the state as part of their bandh call, badly affecting commuter traffic.
Life has been hit in several places of the state with rail and road traffic being crippled and commercial establishments remained shut. Farmers have staged “dharnas” on several roads as part of their bandh call, throwing commuter traffic out of gear.
Farmers held a sit-in at Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza, which affected vehicular movement on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway. At Amritsar’s Golden Gate, scores of farmers started to assemble near the city’s entry point. Dharnas were staged in Bathinda’s Rampura Phul.
Call for shutdown
A call for a Punjab shutdown was given last week by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha over the Centre not accepting the demands of the protesting farmers.
The bandh will be observed from 7 am to 4 pm on Monday (December 30). Farmers observed a sit-in at Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza, affecting vehicular movement on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway.
In Phagwara, farmers staged a dharna near the Sugarmill crossing on NH-44, blocking the roads leading from Phagwara towards Nakodar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr. They also staged a dharna at Behram toll plaza on Phagwara-Banga road.
Grain markets were shut in several places.
Also read: Farmers call for Kisan Mahapanchayat on Jan 4; SC slams govt for Dallewal's fast
Emergency services to operate
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Sunday said though there will be a complete bandh, emergency services will be allowed to operate. Medical services will remain functional.
“The bandh will be observed from 7 am to 4 pm. However, emergency services will remain operational. Anyone travelling to the airport to catch a flight or anyone going to attend a job interview, or anyone needs to attend a wedding... all these things have been kept out of our bandh call,” he said.
“All establishments are closed. Punjabis have shown their unity today and they are extending full support,” Pandher claimed on Monday.
“We are seeing a successful bandh. Train services are also completely suspended and no train is entering Punjab,” he added.
Farmers block a road during the Punjab bandh on Monday | PTI
What will be hit?
While most schools are shut for winter vacations, Panjab University colleges have postponed scheduled exams to Tuesday. Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, has postponed the UG exams scheduled on December 30 to January 12.
Fruit and vegetable markets will be affected because truckers are supporting the bandh. Milk vendors have also stayed off the roads. Private and public buses will remain off the roads as farmer unions have imposed “chakka jams” at over 200 spots on highways and link roads.
Delivery of LPG cylinders may be hit because of the transport strike.
In Mohali district, markets were deserted and there was hardly any traffic on the roads. Railways cancelled several trains passing through the state.
Also read: Move fasting farmer leader Dallewal to makeshift hospital: SC directs Punjab govt
Langar at dharna spots
However, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (traders’ body) has not closed the markets. But markets in many areas will remain closed till 4 pm on Monday.
Government offices will also remain open even though it is sympathetic to the cause of farmers.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has extended support to the bandh, and all its offices will remain closed in Punjab on Monday.
Local gurdwaras in Muktsar, Sangrur, Bathinda, Patiala, Moga, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur districts will provide langar at the dharna spots on Monday.
Farmers raise slogans as they block a road near Golden Gate in Amritsar during the Punjab bandh on Monday | PTI
Neighbouring areas affected
The bandh’s impact was also seen in some neighbouring areas of the state, including Ambala. Hundreds of daily commuters travelling from Ambala to Chandigarh, Mohali, Patiala and other nearby cities of Punjab were thrown off stride because of the shutdown.
Buses took alternate routes to go from Ambala to Chandigarh as they had to cross a stretch of the national highway that passes through Punjab.
Many outsiders studying in various coaching centres in Chandigarh faced a tough time reaching their destinations.
Dallewal’s strike enters 35th day
Hundreds of farmers have been protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border demanding a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The bandh call was given in support of Jagjit Singh Dallewal whose hunger strike entered its 35th day on Monday. The 70-year-old farmer leader has so far refused medical treatment.
Dallewal had earlier said he would not break his fast until the government agreed to the farmers’ demands.
The apex court has given the Punjab government time till December 31 to persuade Dallewal to shift to a hospital, granting the state the liberty to seek logistical support from the Centre, if necessary.
Employees of a restaurant in Amritsar prepare langar for farmers during the Punjab bandh on Monday | PTI
Farmers’ demands
Farmers, under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
A “jatha” (group) of 101 farmers attempted to march to Delhi on foot thrice between December 6 and 14 but was stopped by security personnel from Haryana.
Besides the MSP, farmers are also demanding a debt waiver, pension, no hike in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases, and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
(With agency inputs)