Protests over tardy lifting of paddy: State’s economy takes hit as farmers continue to block national highways

With farmers continuing to be adamant on blocking national highways (NH) across the state almost every day, thousands of commuters are being inconvenienced. Besides, the state’s already fragile economy is taking a hit.

Obstructing traffic on national highways and public roads is a punishable offence under relevant sections of the National Highway Act, 1956, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. Furthermore, in several judgments of the Supreme Court and high courts, it has also been held that bandhs and road blockades are illegal and unconstitutional and organisers must be prosecuted.

Commuters wonder why the police are constantly turning a blind eye to the developments.

A senior police officer said they were unable to do much as they were directed by the AAP-led Punjab government “not to interfere or intervene in the farmers’ plans”.

Top bureaucrats say big-ticket investors are rethinking on setting up units in a state where national highways, which are the arteries of economic development, get jammed for inordinately long periods of time.

Ever since the farmers deployed this strategy, army trucks going to Jammu and Kashmir on national duty have remained stranded, perishable goods worth crores have decayed, ambulances have not been allowed to move, foreign tourists have missed flights and youngsters have missed job interviews.

A group of 20 foreigners, who were stuck a few days ago at the Babri bypass on the Gurdaspur-Amritsar airport highway, were surprised at the turn of events. “We are shocked to see how a handful of people (farmers) are holding thousands of people traveling on the national highway to ransom. We spoke to police officials but they refused to meet us. When we reach home, we will not have good things to say about Punjab and its farmers,” said a woman tourist. The group, stranded for seven hours, missed its flight from Amritsar to New Delhi en route to the United Kingdom.

Senior police officials say their inability to act stems from the fact that they are under pressure from the political class. “We have been told by our bosses in Chandigarh not to use force. All we can do is to divert traffic which, in any case, we are doing,” said an SP-rank officer.

The Babri blockade is fifth such blockade in the last 45 days. This national highway holds significance as tourists travel on the stretch on their way from the airport to the hill states of J&K and Himachal Pradesh.

Commuters say it is high time the courts intervened in the matter. “When the Supreme court can pull up the state government for not addressing the issue of stubble burning, it should also ask the same government to book people who block roads,” said Waryam Singh, a harried commuter who had the ignominy of seeing the ambulance in which he and his wife were traveling being stuck for five hours.

In Gurdaspur, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Uma Shankar Gupta has now designated places in the city where protests can be held.

Pvt bus, truck operators incurring heavy losses

Private bus and truck operators claim to be incurring heavy losses due to delays in travel. Coming from low economic background, traffic congestion significantly impacts their income. More trips mean more passengers and more money for a private bus or truck driver. The congestion increases their journey time, resulting in a reduction in their trip number and their daily income.