Farmers Movement Archive

Bharat Bandh: Mohali observes complete shutdown, farmers block roads

Responding to the Bharat Bandh call by farm unions, various factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) organised chakka jams across Mohali on Friday, blocking major roads and highways, much to the chagrin of commuters. Massive traffic jams were witnessed in Kharar and Zirakpur till 6pm, while air passengers were forced to walk to the Chandigarh International Airport due to blockades on Airport Road. Several hapless passengers were seen walking, with their children and luggage in tow. No untoward incident was reported and the protest concluded peacefully, the police maintained. Showing solidarity with farmers, traders also observed a complete shutdown. All shops and business establishments, except banks and medical stores, remained closed in Mohali, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi, Lalru and Kharar. Though banks were open, they had no visitors. ALSO READ: Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi cancelled in Chandigarh; passengers strandedProtesters started blocking major roads in the district at 9.30am, allowing only people with medical emergency, police, army and media to pass through. The worst effected was Kharar, where both the entry and exit points were blocked and serpentine queues of traffic were witnessed. Due to traffic jam on Banur-Kharar and Kharar-Landran highways, and also on Ambala-Chandigarh highway near Lalru, the police were forced to divert the traffic to alternative routes. Protests were also held at Singhpura crossing in Zirakpur and the toll plaza in Banur. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh said police teams were present at all important entry and exit points to avoid any law and order situation. Commuters suffer for nearly eight hoursCommuters were at the receiving end of the protest for over eight hours as all entry and exit points between Mohali and Chandigarh were blocked.Office-goers and public buses were seen stranded in long jams, as protesters blocked roads with the help of tractor trolleys, JCB machines and cars. Most of the stranded buses were coming in from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of Punjab. Vikas Nagpal, a resident of Kharar, said his relatives’ train got cancelled at the Chandigarh railway station in the morning, but he could not bring them home until after the blockades were lifted, forcing them to wait for nearly 10 hours.Parveen Kumar, from Kaithal, said he was in Mohali to visit a relative at a private hospital, but had to wait at a friend’s house in Zirakpur till 6.30pm before leaving for the hospital.Another commuter, Anita Verma, who works at a hotel in Zirakpur said she was left with no option, but to return home in Dera Bassi, as she was not allowed to cross the barriers set up by the protesters.Markets remain open in Chandigarh, PanchkulaMarkets in both Chandigarh Panchkula remains opened amid the call for Bharat Bandh. The traffic situation also remained smooth in Chandigarh, except for the routes connecting the city to Mohali and Zirakpur.However, in Panchkula, the traffic on the Shimla-Panchkula highway was brought to a halt as farmers and traders laid siege to the stretch. They also blocked the Zirakpur-Panchkula highway and Ramgarh-Mubarakpur road with the help of trucks. Farmers even prepared langar for people sitting on dharna that started at 6am. “I could not go to my office in Dera Bassi and had to return back from Zirakpur. There were not allowing any vehicle,” said Amardeep Singh. “I had a meeting in Chandigarh, but I am stuck here. I asked them to allow me to pass through, but they did not agree and so I had no option but to wait,” said Vikrant, who came from Shimla. Only students, headed for examinations, were allowed to pass. Several people were seen walking towards their destinations along the highways.

Hindustan Times

27-03-2021

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