New Delhi, January 3
Flooded tents, soggy firewood and blankets, and cold conditions: Farmers camping on Delhi’s borders in protest against the new farm laws had a rough morning on Sunday due to night rains.
The continued downpour caused puddles in places of unrest and the waterproof tents did not help much, according to protesters.
Peasant leader Abhimanyu Kohar, who is a member of Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, said farmers had waterproof tents but could not protect them from the cold and waterlogging.
“The situation is very bad in the protest sites due to the rain that has caused flooding. It is very cold after the rains but the government cannot see our misery, ”he said.
Gurwinder Singh, who is camping on the Singhu border, said there were puddles in some places as civic facilities are not up to scratch, but said the weather would not dampen the spirits of farmers who have been protesting for more than a year. month.
“Despite facing various problems, we will not move from here until our demands are met,” he said.
According to an official from the MeT Department, heavy rains were recorded in areas of Delhi and lows have risen due to cloud cover and easterly winds.
“The Safdarjung Observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 9.9 degrees Celsius, an increase of 6.7 degrees with 25 mm of rain. The Palam observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 11.4 degrees Celsius with 18 mm of rain. Hail rains are expected until January 6, “said the official.
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at three Delhi border points – Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur – for more than a month, demanding the repeal of three agricultural laws and a legal guarantee for the Minimum Price of Support (MSP) and two other issues.
Bharatiya Kisan (Ugrahan) Union leader Sukhdev Singh, whose Union is leading the protest on the Tikri border, said arrangements made by farmers to deal with the cold weather were not helping much due to the rains and subsequent waterlogging. .
Veerpal Singh, a protesting farmer, said his blankets, clothing and wood were soaked.
“Our clothes are soaked due to the waterlogging caused by the rains. In addition, we face difficulties in cooking food as rainwater has also soaked the firewood. We have a LPG cylinder, but not everyone here has it, ”he said.
Dharmveer Yadav, who is camping at the Ghazipur border protest site, said the farmers would not move an inch from their places of unrest.
“We are ready to face any problem, be it heavy or storm, but we will not leave this place in any condition until our demands are met,” Yadav said.
Rainwater also entered the camps on the Burari field and protesters were seen draining the water and rearranging their belongings to prevent them from getting soaked in the water. PTI
