Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers’ protests hit road traffic, commuters suffer

Tribune News ServiceAmritsar, August 28Tourists had a harrowing experience as major roads leading to the Golden Temple were blocked by activists of various organisations here on Saturday.Activists of the Naujwan Bharat Sabha, the Kirti Kisan Union and different farmer organisations blocked entry points to the main roads—Hall Gate and Gheo Mandi Chowk—leading to the Golden Temple and the Jallianwala Bagh.Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to unveil the renovated Jallianwala Bagh martyrs’ memorial this evening, but the agitating farmers and youth organisations held a sit-in at the entry points of these roads, resulting in choking of these thoroughfares.Abhishek, a tourist from West Bengal, said he along with his family was heading to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. “The moment our battery-operated auto reached the Hall Gate, we were shocked to find the road blocked. Police personnel standing guard there guided us to gain access to the Sikh shrine from the Gheo Mandi Chowk. Being outsiders, we did not understand their words, but the auto driver immediately drove us to the said intersection. To our utter surprise, a protest was under progress there as well.Harpreet Singh, another tourist from the NCR, said after finding both main access roads to the Golden Temple blocked, he picked up his bag and started walking. “I have been coming here since my childhood days and know the arterial roads to reach Harmandar Sahib. Moreover, as I was alone, I faced minimum hassles. Those with families, especially children and elderly people, really suffered a lot.”Tourists could be seen walking on the roads to somehow reach the shrine. They were seen asking local residents about alternate roads. Tourists coming in four-wheelers could not reach the parking lot situated on the Heritage Street. This resulted in traffic spilling over to nearby streets. Traffic congestion resulted in slow movement of vehicles.To prevent tourists from going further, the police had placed barricades to keep a watch on the protesting farmers at Gheo Mandi which further impeded the movement.There was a large deployment of policemen on the Heritage Road to thwart any attempt of activists of different organisations, including farmers, to squat in front of the Jallianwala Bagh. This further impeded the movement of tourists on the road.

The Tribune

2021-08-29