Updated: December 15, 2020 8:39:00 am
When contacted, Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava said, “We have made preparations that if we need to seal the borders, we should be able to do it. As of now, the borders have not been sealed to avoid inconvenience to travelers. “
With the number of protesters at the Delhi borders growing by the day, senior Haryana police officers said that the borders cannot receive more people as “the situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable.” Haryana police said more than 60,000 protesters are camping at the borders, while peasant leaders said the number is higher. Apart from the remote areas of Punjab, farmers from Haryana, MP, UP and other parts of the country have arrived to join the protest.
To stop the movement, the police have set up nakas (checkpoints) on the borders of Punjab and Haryana. “The idea is that people feel that there is a police presence at the borders to minimize the movement of protesters,” said a Haryana police officer.
When contacted, Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava said, “We have made preparations that if we need to seal the borders, we should be able to do it. As of now, the borders have not been sealed to avoid inconvenience to travelers. “
Two national highways, Delhi-Ambala and Delhi-Hisar, are blocked and anyone wishing to enter Delhi has to travel several kilometers on connecting roads through towns.
Read | Government open to talks but not to repeal laws; farmers go on hunger strike
An official, who requested anonymity, further said: “We are in contact with farmer leaders, urging them not to increase the number of protesters on the Delhi borders. If any major event occurs, we will reason and negotiate with them and try to stop them, if necessary. We have appealed to the government of Punjab not to send more people to the borders … With the arrival of winter, we would try to ensure that the numbers do not increase further. The situation is increasingly unsustainable; more than 30-40 people have been hospitalized due to different illnesses ”.
On the other hand, farmers on the Singhu border said they will not give in unless the farm laws are repealed. “Fateh karke hi jayenge (we will return only after winning the battle),” said Puran Singh, who traveled 520 km from the village of Bachcind on the Atari border in Punjab to Singhu. His tractor was part of a cavalcade of 100 tractor cars that came from villages in Punjab.
“If these laws are introduced, we will become workers in our own fields. So far, we have led a life of our choosing … We have brought rations for six months to continue our agitation, we will not return empty handed, ”added Singh.
Read also | Under Singhu’s shadow, Tikri’s protest also grows in size
Many of them feel that the corporations will take over their land if the laws are introduced. “The introduction of these laws has caused us pain,” said Malkiyat Singh, a resident of Kalan (Tarn Taran) village. Another farmer from the same area, Sucha Singh, added: “Our ancestors made many sacrifices for the freedom of our country. Now, we are ready for any sacrifice to save our land. If necessary, the next generation will also make sacrifices for the cause. “
Jamhoori Kisan Sabha leader Pargat Singh Jamarai told The Indian Express that the unrest will intensify if the laws “against farmers” are not repealed soon. He also urged the authorities to organize more mobile toilets at the borders, saying that the shortage of facilities has become a major problem: “The mobile toilets organized by the Haryana and Delhi authorities have become dysfunctional due to the lack of a regular cleaning. ” The Indian Express found dysfunctional toilets near the protest site.
A senior Haryana government official said more than 300 toilets have been laid out at the borders, in addition to the deployment of safai karamcharis there. However, the officer admitted that the lack of sanitation and water supply is a problem.
.
