Farmers Movement Archive

Haryana toll plazas to remain free for commuters: Farmers

Intensifying their ongoing agitation against farm laws, activists of farmers’ organisations said that toll plazas in Haryana will remain free for all commuters indefinitely.Earlier, the farmer union leaders had announced that toll plazas will be opened for three days from December 25 to 27. But in a meeting late on Saturday, farmer leaders said they will not allow the toll companies to charge anything from commuters until the Union government accepts their demands.“We met farmers and representatives of farmer unions. It was decided that toll plazas will not be allowed to charge commuters indefinitely,” said state Bharatiya Kisan Union president Gurnam Singh Charuni.He added that farmers will continue their protests at all toll plazas in Haryana till protests at Delhi borders are not ended.On December 25, the protesting farmers had gathered at toll plazas, forcing toll collection booths’ staff to leave. The protesters took over Haryana toll plazas and removed barricades from toll gates and providing free movement to motorists.Women and children joined the protests at Kitlana toll plaza in Dadri, while farmers parked their tractor-trolleys on the roadside and sat on dharna near Makrauli toll plaza on Rohtak-Chandigarh highway and at Madina toll plaza on Rohtak-Hisar highway.Farmers took over Bastara toll plaza in Karnal on NH-44, Gullarpur toll plaza on Assandh-Karnal highway, Thana toll plaza in Pehowa of Kurukshetra on Hisar-Chandigarh highway, Panipat toll plaza on NH-44, and Dahar toll plaza on Panipat-Rohtak highway. Farmers from Haryana and Punjab continued their sit-in at Shambhu toll plaza near Ambala on Delhi-Amritsar NH-44 for the second day.As per information, the concessionaire of Bastara toll plaza on NH-44 near Karnal is among the biggest sufferer as the toll company is likely to suffer a loss of around Rs 1.20 crore per day due to free movement of vehicles from this toll plaza.Officials of the toll plaza said per day collection of Bastara toll remains around Rs 1.20 crore to Rs 1.30 crore as around 40,000 to 50,000 vehicle cross from the toll plaza every day.In Chandigarh, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said this loss is not to the toll companies. Ultimately, the public will have to bear the losses.‘Boycott products of select corporate houses’Farmer leaders have urged Haryana farmers to boycott products of select corporate houses to express their anger against the three farm laws allowing private traders to procure farm produces.“Besides indefinite protests at toll plazas, we have urged farmers to boycott products of Reliance, Adani and Patanjali,” Charuni said.He added that during meeting, it was decided that farmers will boycott politicians in next elections, if they are not supporting farmers’ stir.

Hindustan Times

28-12-2020

City