Farmers’ protest across Ludhiana district leaves commuters stranded

Farmers’ protest across the Ludhiana district caused trouble for commuters and residents on Friday. Various farmer unions blocked national highways in Khanna, Jagraon and Ludhiana. The farmers blocked roads from 11 am to 3 pm. Only emergency vehicles were allowed to pass and other vehicular traffic, including buses, were not allowed to cross the protest venue during the blockade.

Residents heaved a sigh of relief when farmers lifted the protest at 3 pm and allowed the vehicular traffic to move smoothly.

Contrary to the call for blocking roads leading to grain markets only, the protesting farmers have blocked the main Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway at Kohara by squatting on the middle of the road. Only a handful of agitators blocked the highway, causing hardships to the commuters.

Amrit Benipal from the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), who led the protest on the Amritsar-Delhi highway in Khanna, said farmers blocked the highway due to poor policies of the state and the Central Government. Despite promising to lift paddy, nothing was done on the ground by the government.

While taking a jibe at the visit of former Chief Minister and BJP leader Capt Amarinder Singh to the grain market in Khanna, he said the visit of the former CM could not resolve issues of farmers. The issue of tardy procurement of paddy had been going on for weeks and had Captain Amarinder was serious about the issue, he should have already met the BJP leadership in Delhi before visiting the grain market. Capt’s visit was just a political gimmick as he too was part of the BJP-led Central Government, which was anti- farmers.

The farmers also blocked the Ferozepur highway in Jagraon for four hours. Commuters had to take detour through village roads to reach their destinations. Apart from the farmers unions, unions of commission agents and farm labourers had also took part in the protest. They raised slogans against Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They threatened that if the government would not start lifting paddy, they would intensify the agitation.

“We had to reach Delhi to take part in a bhog of our relative who died a few days ago but our bus got stranded on the highway in Khanna due to the farmers’ protest. They can hold protest for their rights but it should not inconvenience the common man,” Himani Sharma, a resident, said.