Farmers to assemble at Beas today, march towards Shambhu border tomorrow

A day ahead of their scheduled march towards Shambhu border, the farmers remained busy in preparing their trolleys for the journey and making arrangements for long stay at the protest site. The farmers are preparing their trolleys in such a way that these could be used as a makeshift area for sleeping during the night.

In the earlier protest at Delhi borders, the farmers had used their trolleys to stay there for over a year. “We do not have much means and resources. We cannot afford to stay in hotels and due to cold weather we cannot sleep in the open. So we are covering our trolleys with tarpaulin sheets and making other small adjustments which would help us,” said Harjit Singh of Khabe Rajputtan village near here.

The farmers stated that they were also taking along sacks of wheat flour and pulses which would be used to cook and feed them during their stay at the dharna site. Another farmer from the same village, Mukhtar Singh, said, “Though the intensity of cold has decreased, still we would need shelter during the night.”

When asked about why they were going on tractor-trolleys, Mukhtar Singh said, “Most of the farmers participating in the protest are poor and cannot afford cars or other vehicles. Moreover, 16 to 20 people can easily sleep in a trolley during the night and this makes it the preferred mode of transport.”

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), said that the farmers would gather near Beas on Wednesday and move towards Shambhu border on January 30. “A year ago, we had started our journey from Beas and we are now again gathering at the same place. If the government thinks that we are tired, it should know that we are not as we are used to hard work in the fields.” He said that the protest would continue till the demands of farmers are met.