Stepping up their protests for the repeal of the Centre’s recent agriculture laws, farmers affiliated to different unions on Saturday staged a dharna, or sit-in, at several toll plazas on National and State highways in Haryana, and stopped the authorities from collecting fees from commuters.
Also read: Voices of protest: what farmers have to say
Agitating farmers squatted on the road at toll-plazas and shouted slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre, accusing it of implementing “anti-farmer” policies.
“Farmers are staging dharna at almost all the toll plazas in Haryana. Group of farmers have gathered at toll plazas on Ambala-Hisar highway. Besides we are picketing toll plazas in Hisar district roads leading to Delhi, Rajgarh, Sirsa and Chandigarh. Also, Karnal-Jind highway farmers are protesting,” Rattan Mann, president of the Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait) told The Hindu.
Explainer | Why are the Agriculture Bills being opposed
“Most of the toll plaza on the Chandigarh-Delhi highway have also been taken over by farmers and we are not letting authorities collect any fees from commuters, plying their vehicles. We are staging this protest for one day,” he said.
Meanwhile, thousands of farmers and farm labourers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Samiti, who are on their way from Punjab to Delhi, started to move towards the national capital on Saturday after a night halt in Haryana’s Shahbad.
“We are on our way to Kundi on tractor-trolleys, cars, vans and will reach by today evening. Over 2000 vehicles are participating in our march,” Sarvan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Punjab unit of the Samiti, told The Hindu.
In a bid to ensure law and order situation a large number of police personnel have been deployed at toll plazas to maintain law and order.
In neighbouring Punjab, farmers have been squatting with ‘pucca morcha’ (permanent protest-site) on all toll plazas since October 1 as a part of their agitation. They have not allowed the authorities collect any charges from commuters.
