NEW DELHI: Farmers prevented the collection of fees at toll plazas in Haryana and parts of western UP on Saturday, the 17th day of protest at the Delhi borders, even as they announced they would intensify their agitation by observing a one-day hunger strike on December 14th.
While the heads of the 32 agricultural organizations will sit fasting from 8 a.m.
The proposed blockade of the Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH-48) by farmers failed on Saturday morning. Peasant leaders warned that their counterparts from neighboring states would gather at the Shahjahanpur border on Saturday night and organize a march to block the road on Sunday morning.
On Saturday, farmers overpowered staff at all major toll plazas on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and NH-34, letting vehicles pass without paying fees. However, they were detained by the Noida police at the Jewar toll of the Yamuna Expressway and briefly at Palwal Square by the Haryana police.
At least eight EPE toll plazas, including Beel Akbarpur, Dasna, Sirsa, Maujpur, Kundli, Baghpat, Duhai and Palwal, and the Luharli The protesting farmers made the NH-34 toll free, helping thousands of commuters evade the toll from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Also on the Yamuna Highway, a group of farmers arrived around 10 am, but the police stopped them before they could reach Jewar Square. EPE Deputy Director General Arvind Chauhan said that around 300 employees were deployed in different squares as farmers prevented the collection of tolls in the eight squares between 10 am and 4 pm “Around 15,000 vehicles have passed without paying toll, ”he said.
Agricultural organizations took over the operations of key toll plazas in Haryana. On the Delhi-Chandigarh highway, agricultural agencies seized the Bastara and Panipat toll plazas in Karnal and Panipat. The collection of tolls on the Assandh-Karnal road was also prevented. In UP’s Mathura, farmers “seized” the Maant and Bajna toll plazas on the Yamuna highway for about an hour.
Agricultural leaders said more action could be taken in the coming days if the Center did not agree to repeal the laws.
(With input from Bagish Jha from Gurgaon)
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