Statewide protests by govt staff, farmers
Tribune Reporters
Chandigarh, February 16
The “Gramin Bharat Bandh”, call for which was given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and central trade unions, evoked a mixed response across the state today.
Roadways services hit
- Transport services affected as buses remain off roads
- Toll plaza made ‘free’ for three hours
- Shops, commercial establishments, educational institutions function normally
While transport services were affected inconveniencing people, shops and commercial establishments remained open.
hisar: Farmers under the SKM banner gathered at toll plazas in Hisar, Jind and adjoining districts and allowed the free movement of vehicles for three hours. The roadways services remained off the road in most districts.
Private operations stepped in and provided transport services. An SKM activist at Baddo Patti toll plaza on the Hisar-Chandigarh highway claimed that the bandh was successful. Mangal Sein, general manager of the roadways at Hisar, said about 50 buses operated on some routes.
karnal/kaithal: Both districts remained unaffected, with markets operating as usual and businesses conducting regular operations. In Karnal, employees took out a march. Several employees remained absent from duty for some time and offices wore a deserted look. Similar protests were conducted at the block level by the employees.
On the other hand, farmers staged dharnas at the Bastara and Peont toll plazas to make them “free” for commuters. Gurnam Singh Charuni, president of BKU, said they were in solidarity with the protesting farmers of Punjab. He mentioned that the farmers would take out a tractor march at the block level tomorrow. In Kaithal, farmers blocked the Kaithal-Jind road.
faridabad: The impact of the bandh in Faridabad and Palwal district was partial, with commercial establishments , markets and educational institutions functioning as usual. The impact was seen only in government offices and the civic body, where the attendance remained thin and routine work was disrupted. Work in the offices of the DHBVN, Haryana Roadways, HSVP, Tourism, Public Health and municipal corporation was affected adversely as majority of the staff remained on strike.
Workers and employees of the Transport Department also supported the strike call, resulting in the disruption of bus services from the main depot at Ballabhgarh and Palwal. However, the call had a negligible impact on the private and commercial sectors as all banks, schools, colleges and markets remained operational. The movement of traffic also remained normal in both Faridabad and Palwal districts.
panipat: No major impact of the bandh was seen in the markets of Sonepat and Panipat as they were open. However, employees of the roadways, power corporation and the MC took part in the bandh. Roadways employees in Panipat and Sonepat staged a protest. In Sonepat, employees of the roadways, MC and power corporation organised a protest march to the mini secretariat and raised slogans against the BJP government.
ambala/kurukshetra: BKU(Charuni) activists kept the Saini Majra toll plaza in Ambala and Thana toll plaza in Kurukshetra “free” for three hours in support of the farmers’ agitation.
Rakesh Bains, union spokesman, said, “Both toll plazas were kept free from 12 noon to 3 pm in support of the farmers’ protest. Everything went off peacefully. On Saturday, the activists will hold tractor parades across the state at the tehsil level.” Meanwhile, employees of various government departments held a demonstration and raised slogans against the government. However, not much impact of the bandh was visible as the markets were opened.
