Traffic blues at Lalru as farmers block Chandigarh-Ambala highway for 4 hours

The patience of commuters was tested to the hilt as farmers owing allegiance to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) blocked main roads in the district for four hours as part of the statewide protest against ‘tardy’ procurement and lifting of paddy in Punjab.

The Ambala-Chandigarh National Highway remained blocked from 11 am to 3 pm at Lalru Mandi ITI Chowk today. Outside the Bhago Majra grain market, traffic on the Mohali-Banur road remained hit due to a similar blockade. The fate of commuters on the Landran-Banur road was no different. The protesters said school buses and ambulances were given free passage during the protest.

“Farmer protest has become an all-season affair. Traffic and emergency services are hit the most due to these agitations. Three to four hours of protest won’t move the government anyway,” said Bhagat Ram, a harried bus passenger travelling from Una to Delhi.

Passengers said bus and private vehicles had to take detours on village roads as traffic police or guidance remained elusive. In Rupnagar district, blockades were held at Police Lines T-point, Morinda, Bunga Sahib, Bharatgarh, and Agampur as farmers squatted on the roads and raised slogans against the state government.

The SKM had convened a meeting of 32 farmer organisations on Wednesday to decide its future course of action against ‘tardy’ procurement of paddy and announced to block roads in the state on October 25. Farmer union leader Jaspal Singh Niamian complained that they were stuck in mandis for the past 15 days as procurement of paddy was very slow. The protesters alleged that the government failed in facilitating the lifting of paddy for almost six months. In the next one week, they would need DAP for the next crop, but the government had not made adequate arrangements. “What option do we have other than hitting the road to protest,” said Niamian.