Kulwinder Sandhu and Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune news service
Moga / Bathinda, September 25
A bandh call given by agricultural organizations over the three contentious agricultural laws brought life to a standstill in Bathinda, Jalandhar, Patiala, Moga, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Barnala, Faridkot, Muktsar, Mansa, Bathinda and other districts of the Malwa belt in Punjab el Friday.
Protests are taking place in 125 locations in Punjabsaid the leaders of the All India Coordination Committee Kisan Sangharsh. All major roads now blocked by farmers.
In Muktsar, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal led a tractor march from his residence in Badal village. As he drove the tractor, his wife and former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal sat next to him.He had resigned in protest against the Agricultural Bills.
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Up to 31 organizations of farmers, minors of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) have come together for the complete closure of Punjab.
Among the farmers’ unions supporting the bandh call are Bharti Kisan Union Krantikari, Kirti Kisan Union, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, and BKU (Lakhowal).
Read also: SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat lead the march of tractors from Badal village to protest against agricultural laws
Various organizations in Haryana, including the BKU, have also extended their support for the national strike called by some farmers’ organizations against the bills.
Police personnel with adequate force were deployed throughout the state to maintain law and order, authorities said.
Read Also: Punjab Farmers Begin Protest Against Farm Laws
The supply of basic products was severely affected in these areas. Fruit and vegetable markets remained closed in all towns and villages in the Malwa belt. The other markets haven’t opened since morning either. The milk supply was also partially affected in many areas.
Public transport (buses, taxis and tempos) did not circulate on the roads.
However, most of the private companies, industries had been opened in the city of Moga as usual.
In Patiala, essential supplies were affected, including milk and poultry supplies. while farmers blocked the roads leading to the city. Hundreds of farmers held a protest and blocked the Sangrur-Patiala highway.
The Chandigarh-Bathinda highway was completely blocked by farmers.
Farmers block Bathinda-Chandigarh NH-7 in protest against ordinances
Farmers are organizing a protest blocking the Bathinda-Zirakpur national road at Rampura Phul in the Bathinda district.
A large number of young men and women are also present and they are organizing dharna.
Buta Singh Burjgill from BKU Dakonda said: “People have given us their full support by completely closing their shops on their own. This is a historic move, as a previous bandh was made in fear, but now the people of Punjab are also with farmers on the subject of three agricultural ordinances, as it will affect all sectors of society directly or indirectly linked to agriculture.
He said: “We demand that the union government withdraw these bills against farmers until then this protest will continue.”
Kaka Singh, Secretary of State for BKU Sidhupur, said: “Today is your historic day, as 31 unions from Kisan have come together on a platform to protest against these anti-farmer bills. He also affirmed that the farmers have forced all the political parties to come looking for their support since before all the political parties have escaped from their promises when they were in power.
He said that from October 1 the indefinite railway tower would begin and the leaders and workers of the BJP would be boycotted. After September 25, you will get resolutions passed by gram panchayats in 1,250 villages in the state against these ordinances.
The so-called farmers’ bandh in Punjab has had a good response in the city of Bathinda and in the towns of the city, as, except for a few drug stores, banks and all major markets are closed.
In Moga, Nestlé, the multinational food and milk manufacturing company opened in the morning shift and work was normal.
“Last night we collected milk from the villages of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan as usual and the processing was normal. Employee attendance is also normal,” said Kamal Bir Singh Deol, head of Nestlé’s Milk Processing Unit.
However, train services remained affected. The Ferozepur Railway division has suspended the operation of all special trains in Punjab, J&K and Himachal Pradesh until September 26 as a precaution.
Farmers had already identified as many as 30 sites on the railroad tracks in Punjab where protests had started.
In Moga, farmers blocked road and rail traffic on the national highway in Dagru village. on the border of the districts of Moga and Ferozepur. The train track crosses the national highway in this town.
Railway officials said the upheaval of the “rail roko” (block train tracks) in Punjab over agricultural bills has severely affected the transport of food grains and other essential goods. It has also affected the movement of passengers, many of them traveling for emergencies on special trains.
Likewise, the transport of goods via trucks has also been seriously affected by the agitation of farmers. The upheaval has brought freight transport to a complete halt. The railway authorities of the Ferozepur division have also rescheduled many freight and parcel trains.
The Amritsar-Haridwar train has been canceled from September 25 to 26 and the New Delhi-Jammu Tawi Express from September 24 to 26. The Hazur Saheb Nanded-Amritsar train will not go to Amritsar and will end its journey in Old Delhi. The Dhanbad-Ferozepur Cantonment train will not go to Ferozepur Cantonment station. The Mumbai Central-Amritsar train will also stop in Ambala or Delhi during these 3 days of farmer turmoil, railway authorities said. In total, at least 25 trains have been affected in the Ferozepur railway division.
Farmers have gathered in the main square of the city of Moga, in the village of Pandori, in the village of Chuhar Chak, on the road outside the village of Rode and in at least 25 locations in the district of Moga .
Similarly, dharnas have also been reported at Feroze Shah on the Moga-Ferozepur national road, Golu ka Mor, the Zira road bridge in Ferozepur city and in many other places: Arifke, Talwandi Bhai, Makhu, Zira and many other places in the Ferozepur district.
AAP workers have also started gathering in many places in the districts of Moga and Ferozepur to organize protests against agricultural laws. Congressional workers were also gathering in some places in these districts.
Sukhdev Singh Kokri, general secretary of the BKU (Ekta), said the central government hastily introduced the agricultural laws without consulting agricultural organizations. He called the farm bills “black bills” and said they would destroy the existing farm market system. Farmers will lose their land to large corporations. “We will intensify our uproar in the next few days until these agricultural bills are rejected by the BJP government. These bills are not acceptable to farmers in Punjab and other parts of the country, ”he added. He stated that “farmers will become workers in their own fields through these bills.”
Dr Harjot Kamal, the Moga MLA Congress, said that the Union Government passed the agricultural bills without the consent of the state governments. States will suffer huge economic losses due to these laws. He said that agriculture is a state issue and that the Government of the Union presented new bills without the consent of the states. He said the measure went against the federal structure enshrined in the Constitution.
The Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Agricultural Price and Services Guarantee Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) for Farmers, 2020 and the Essential Products (Amendment) Bill, 2020 , have been approved by both Houses and await the presidential assent.
