At Tikri, facilities mapped out for protesting farmers

NRI cartographer pitches in

*A club run by an NGO ropes in NRI cartographer, who worked for free

*The map offers locations of facilities such as medical aid, langar and toilets

*Another map on Singhu protest site to be out soon

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 13

To facilitate agitating farmers navigate their way on the Delhi borders, the Punjab Club run by an NGO has created a map covering 20 km around the Tikri protest site.

The map offers marked locations for facilities like medical assistance, hospitals, langar, police help, library, water tankers, portable toilets and washing machines at the protest site.

To bring out the map, the club tied up with an NRI cartographer based in Germany, Tanuj Chawla, who agreed to work for free.

Subheg Singh (23), one of the members of the club, said: “While we were busy supplying essential items to the protest sites on Delhi borders, we observed that protesting farmers, especially the elderly, were having a hard time in finding locations and sometimes they would get lost. We then decided to have a map that could help protesters reach specific points in a hassle-free manner.

“Besides assisting protesters in finding the right location for their day-to-day utilities, the map will come in handy if there’s a medical emergency. For instance, if somebody suffers a cardiac arrest then the initial few minutes are crucial. If the location for first aid and immediate medical support at the protest site is known, it can prove to be a life-saver.”

Several club members contributed to the project by sharing information and pictures among other technical details with the cartographer to ensure accuracy.

The team members said a similar map for the Singhu border protest site was also ready and would be out in a day or two. Farmers have already started pasting the Tikri map, published recently in a vernacular daily, on their tractor-trailers and other public areas at the protest site.