Farmers Movement Archive

Bahadurgarh traders move Delhi HC, seek opening of Tikri border

Tribune News ServiceJhajjar, September 26The Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI), a body of more than 9,000 large- and small-scale units in Bahadurgarh, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court against the Delhi Police for blocking the Tikri border by putting concrete barricades.The petitioner said the Tikri border had been lying closed for 10 months and the Delhi Police were not letting citizens to cross the border. Even ambulances were not allowed to cross the Tikri border at a time when the threat of the Covid pandemic still looms.The HC has fixed November 15 as the date for hearing.“The police are not opening the Tikri border even after the Chief Secretary, Haryana, submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court, stating that the Jharoda border was open, while the one at Tikri was closed. We made representation to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Chief Minister’s Office, but to no avail. This forced us to approach the High Court. Lakhs of labourers who work in Bahadurgarh factories face inconvenience every day,” said Narinder Chhikara, vice-president, BCCI.Around 7.5 lakh workers are engaged in more than 9,000 industries in Bahadurgarh. They take a long detour of 14-15 km via fields to commute between Delhi and Bahadurgarh.“The closure of the Tikri border has hit industrial production. The industries have suffered a loss of around Rs 20,000 crore in the past 10 months. If the situation doesn’t improve, several industries may close down or be forced to shift,” added Chhikara.

The Tribune

2021-09-27