Farmers' Punjab bandh cripples commuter traffic; rail, bus service suspended

CHANDIGARH: Life was hit in several places of Punjab due to a 'bandh' imposed by farmers who have been agitating against the Centre for a legal guarantee of a minimum support price for their crops.

Rail and road traffic was crippled and commercial establishments remained shut in many places of the state.

Farmers staged 'dharnas' on several roads as part of their bandh call, throwing commuter traffic out of gear.

A call for a shutdown was given over a week ago by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha over the Centre not acting on the farmers' demand for a legal guarantee for the MSP.

The bandh will be observed from 7 am to 4 pm.

Farmers observed a sit-in at Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza which affected vehicular movement on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway.

At Amritsar's Golden Gate, scores of farmers started to assemble near the city's entry point.

Dharnas were staged in Bathinda's Rampura Phul.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters in Amritsar that emergency and other essential services would be allowed to operate.

He said anyone travelling to the airport to catch a flight anyone going to attend a job interview, or anyone needing to attend a wedding, will be allowed.

"All establishments are closed. Punjabis have shown their unity today and they are extending full support," Pandher claimed.

"We are seeing a successful bandh. Train services are also completely suspended and no train is entering Punjab," he said.

In Phagwara, farmers staged a dharna near the Sugarmill crossing on NH-44, blocking the roads leading from Phagwara towards Nakodar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr.

They also staged a dharna at Behram toll plaza on Phagwara-Banga road.

Grain markets were shut in several places.

Pandher claimed their strike has received strong support from transporters, employee unions, traders bodies, and religious bodies.

In the Mohali district, markets were deserted and hardly any traffic on the roads.

Public transport remained off roads at several places, while most private bus operators suspended services abiding by the bandh call.

Railways cancelled several trains passing through the state.

The bandh's impact was also seen in some neighbouring areas of the state, including Ambala. Hundreds of daily commuters travelling from Ambala to Chandigarh, Mohali, Patiala and other nearby cities of Punjab were thrown off stride because of the shutdown.

Buses took alternate routes to go from Ambala to Chandigarh as they had to cross a stretch of the national highway that passes through Punjab.

Sangeeta, who commutes every day from Ambala to Zirakpur for her work, was waiting for a bus at Ambala Cantt in Haryana.

All buses going towards Chandigarh from Ambala were too crowded, she said.

Many outsiders studying in various coaching centres in Chandigarh faced a tough time reaching their destinations.

Meanwhile, 70-year-old farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's hunger strike entered its 35th day on Monday.

Dallewal has so far refused medical treatment.

Hundreds of farmers have been protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border demanding a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Dallewal had earlier said he would not break his fast until the government agreed to the farmers' demands.

The apex court has given the Punjab government time till December 31 to persuade Dallewal to shift to a hospital, granting the state the liberty to seek logistical support from the Centre, if necessary.

Farmers, under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

A "jatha" (group) of 101 farmers attempted to march to Delhi on foot three times between December 6 and 14 but were stopped by security personnel from Haryana.

Besides the MSP, farmers are also demanding a debt waiver, pension, no hike in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases, and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.