Open house: What steps should admn take as protesters repeatedly block highways and rail tracks ?

Proactive, balanced measures needed

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To prevent protesters from blocking highways and railway tracks, the administration needs to take proactive and balanced measures. One of the most effective ways is to engage with protest groups early and address their concerns before the situation escalates into road or rail blockades. Many protests arise due to delayed response from the authorities, so establishing a clear and responsive communication channel between the government and the people can help in resolving issues before these turn into public disruptions. Regular dialogue, grievance redressal forums and mediation can be useful in handling such situations in a peaceful manner. Additionally, the government should allocate specific areas for protests where people can express their demands without affecting public transport or causing inconvenience to daily commuters. Stricter enforcement of the laws against the blocking of the highways and railway tracks is also essential. The authorities should impose fine or take legal action against those who deliberately obstruct public transport, as such disruptions can have serious consequences, including delaying emergency services, causing financial losses and affecting thousands of people. However, while enforcing rules, it is also important to ensure that people’s right to protest is not suppressed unfairly. A balanced approach, where grievances are heard and legal consequences are clear, can help in preventing such disruptions in the future.

Akash Kumar

Intimate dates in advance

The Constitution clearly states that road and rail blockades by protesters are an illegal act. Blockades in any way are a public nuisance. In order to prevent such protests, the foremost step that the administration should take is to plan stern action against the protesters by ordering lathi-charge and using water cannon to disperse the crowd from venue. Secondly, awareness must be created about places where the protesters are allowed to protest legally. Last, but not the least, as dates of protest are declared in advance, the administration should hold talks with protesters, encouraging them to find an amicable solution instead of holding blockades which result in public inconvenience.

Sanjay Chawla

Use drones, CCTVs for surveillance

In our country, commuters are upset with the protesters not only blocking highways and railway tracks to get their demands fulfilled but also religious processions and roadshows during elections by leaders. In a way, one section of the population becomes a source of inconvenience for the other without any fault of theirs. While the right to protest is a fundamental right in a democracy, it should not be used at the cost of public inconvenience and economic loss. A balance between freedom of expression and public order is desirable. To prevent disruptions caused by blockade of highways and railway tracks, a multi-pronged approach is necessary. The government should implement and enforce the existing legal provisions on unlawful assembly and public nuisance. The courts should be empowered to issue orders on blockades and impose penalties on the organisers. Prior permission should be mandatory for protests and processions and a designated area should be earmarked for such gatherings and protests in cities and states like Jantar Mantar in Delhi without disrupting public movements. Intelligence agencies and social media monitoring should be used to detect early signs of mass protests. The authorities should implement smart traffic management system and inform commuters by mobile alerts. Drones and CCTV cameras should be used to monitor protesting crowds and prevent illegal activities. Impose heavy fines and penalties on the protest organisers if public property is damaged and hold them responsible under legal provisions if public order is disrupted. Run awareness campaigns to discourage unlawful protests and suggest alternative ways to highlight demands by online petitions and public forum discussions. Above all, the government must have a public grievance disposal cell to engage protesting leaders and organisers to circumvent unnecessary public inconvenience and escalation.

Bholla Singh Sidhu

Protest at govt offices, not on roads

The frequent blockade of bridges, highways, roads and rail tracks by the protesters, irrespective of whether they are organised by political parties, farmers or others, add to the sufferings of people. Though holding of peaceful protests to get grievances addressed is people’s democratic right, such agitations must be held at the offices of the authorities concerned. By causing long unending inconvenience to the hapless public and commuters, these protesters behave like people’s enemy, as they end up just punishing the public. Bridges, like the Bhandari Bridge in Amritsar, and those in other cities and on highways, are the first target of all protesters. The blockades on the bridges and connected roads cause untold miseries to the common public who are compelled to show no sympathy for the protesters. Although it may appear to be harsh, there is no other way but to arrest the leaders/organisers after giving them the option of protests, dharnas or jail by the police so that some good sense prevails on them. All have the right to protest but not to be so unreasonable and oblivious to the hardships caused to the commuters and general public by blocking bridges, highways, roads and rail tracks.

LJ Singh

Shift protest venue from populated areas

The administration can take both short-term and long-term measures to address the frequent blockade of roads and railway tracks. In the short-term, established dedicated communication channels can provide protesters a platform for expressing their grievances and ensuring that these are duly acknowledged. Forming negotiating teams to engage with protesters could facilitate dialogue, enabling a better understanding of their demands and working towards mutually acceptable solutions. Additionally, the creation of Rapid Response Teams could effectively address protesters’ concerns, which may help mitigate potential escalations. Public awareness campaigns can educate citizens about the negative impact of such blockades on the economy, public safety and essential services. However, in the long-term, developing a comprehensive strict regulatory framework may be necessary to ensure that protests remain peaceful and non-disruptive while safeguarding public safety. This framework could include designating protest venues away from critical infrastructure to minimise public disruptions, establishing a registration system to track and engage with protest groups, and implementing a permit system to assess the potential impacts and take necessary precautions. Accountability for any damage or disruptions caused during protests is important and should be accounted for. Additionally, fostering community engagement through regular dialogue, and empowering citizens to actively participate in the decision-making process could help address grievances proactively. Addressing underlying socio-economic issues that may contribute to the likelihood of protests could also be crucial. Enhancing the capacity of law-enforcement agencies with modern tools, training and strategies for managing protests is crucial. Furthermore, leveraging technology including social media monitoring, data analytics and mobile applications can help to predict, prevent and respond to protests. Collaboration with various stakeholders like civil society organisations, community leaders and protest groups is vital to promote mutual understanding and peaceful resolution of conflicts

Kulwant Singh Phull

Keep contingency plan to avoid disruption

In recent times, the commuting community and the travelling public have had to face innumerable hardships and avoidable inconvenience due to protesters, especially agitating farmers, resorting to road blockades, squatting on the rail tracks and taking other measures to seriously disrupt traffic and free public movement as a tool to press for the acceptance of their demands. As a democratic privilege under the Constitution, while anybody is free to protest and express grievances on public platforms, preventing the general public from moving freely anywhere in the country is against the spirit of law and the Constitution. The government, therefore, is under obligation to ensure that free movement of all its citizens through available modes of transportation is not disrupted in any way. The task is, of course, challenging but needs to be performed both meticulously and cautiously. For this purpose, the government needs to streamline its intelligence network for taking preventive measures in advance, in consonance with maintaining balance between securing democratic rights of the agitating bodies and public law and order. Negotiations with probable agitators should be initiated immediately to get their plans of blocking roads and rails cancelled. If, however, the negotiations process fails, contingency plans should be kept in place to ensure smooth flow of traffic, free from disruption of any kind. There is even nothing wrong in using mild force and arresting active protesters for the sake of maintaining public order and ensuring smooth flow of vehicular traffic on the roads and rails.ss

Jagdish Chander

Improve intelligence network

The right to protest is a fundamental right but not at the cost of public convenience. According to our Constitution, the right to protest comes under Article 19(l) (b) which ensures the freedom to assemble peacefully and without arms, enabling citizens to hold protests and demonstrations. The following steps can be taken by the administration to prevent or minimise disruptions which are caused by protesters on highways and railway tracks: Coordinate talks with the leaders of protesters for an amicable solution to their demands. If they are within the scope of the jurisdiction, the genuine demands should be addressed on a priority basis to give publicity about the protest so that the commuters can plan alternative routes to their destinations. Improve intelligence network so that the exact cause of protest is known and no rumours are spread to create any misunderstanding. A public awareness campaign is required to educate the protest leaders about the impact on critical infrastructure and public inconvenience. Ensure adequate police presence to maintain law and order during protest.

Strict action should be taken against the individuals who take law in their hands.

Prachi Sharma

Rail, road blockade affects economy

The Union and state governments should pass a law stating that neither the roads nor the railway tracks can be blocked for agitation. Blocking rail and road traffic leads to economic disability and causes a decline in generation of additional revenue. The travel time increases with the blocking of rail and road traffic and the commuters have to face lot of difficulties while on way to the airport to catch their flights or board there next train to reach their destination. The cancellation of trains due to blockade of rail tracks leads to inconvenience to the passengers travelling in trains who sometimes have to stop their journey midway or rather abruptly. The passengers have to face a lot of difficulties. Similarly, on national highways, the routes are diverted, increasing the time of travel and resulting in the wastage of fuel in vehicles. The administration should be strict and pacify the agitators not to block the national highways or railway tracks. They can peacefully protest on the side of the roads, not affecting the movement of rail and road traffic. Punjab has already suffered a lot due to rail and road blockades in the past and the NRIs coming from abroad have a negative experience, resulting in concern over the future of all-round development in Punjab.s

Rajat Kumar Mohindru

Public  should not be inconvenienced

A lot of inconvenience is caused by the protesters, resulting in severe disruption for commuters, causing traffic jams, delays and frustration. People trying to reach their destinations often face hardships. It is the duty of the government to take a balanced approach to resolve the issues while ensuring both public convenience and the protesters’ rights. The authorities can allocate specific areas for protesters ensuring they do not disrupt major roads and public transport. Deploying additional traffic police, re-routing vehicles and regular updates through social media and big banners, flash news on all TV channels can prove to be of some help. As soon as possible, try to resolve the grievances of the protesters. To stage peaceful protest is people’s right, but if it is prolonged and causes inconvenience to the public, legal action should be taken.

Shashi Kiran

pragmatic approach needed

Everyone has the right to express their concern in a democratic set-up, but causing avoidable problems to the public is not desirable. These days, rail and road blockades by the protesters have become a common practice to press for the acceptance of their demands. While it is a major source of frustration for commuters as disruptions on highways and railway tracks often lead to lengthy delays and increased travel time, it causes pecuniary losses as well. Apart from this, industrial workers and government employees go on strike at the call of trade unions and create unwanted blockade on roads and pathways to exert pressure in resolving the issues, by which public utility services are severely impacted. Currently, the states of Punjab and Haryana are experiencing farmers’ stir for the past several months, and they have blocked the national highway at Shambhu and Khanauri for the acceptance of their demands pertaining to viable pricing and assured marketing of their produce. It is, indeed, deplorable that no pragmatic approach is being adopted to resolve the tangle and the common man is suffering. In larger national interest, there must be a robust mechanism for timely redress of grievances to avoid a stalemate. Highways and railways are the lifeline of all social and business activity and no one should be allowed to hinder the smooth movement of traffic for any reason, whatsoever. The lack of appropriate action not only causes innumerable problems to the public but is a major drawback for our surging economy. Obviously, the need is to have a strong statute against disruption on highways and railways to reduce the hassles and frustration of the commuters as well as to improve the overall efficiency vital for propelling growth. The Centre and state governments should ensure that the genuine demands of the protesters are taken up proactively, implementing effective solutions in right perspective.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

State's image tarnishED

The inordinately long protest by state farmers, which began in 2021, is slowly tarnishing the economic and industrial aspects of Punjab. Railway hartals (halts) and roadblocks have led to a lot of deviations in daily traffic routes, interfering with the schedule of masses for a formidably long time. Now that the initially small protest has gained a bigger and larger level, many people are misusing it to promote their own propaganda and the overall civilised behaviour of the city is fading. The only way to resolve this issue is by actually addressing the concerns of the farmers of Punjab. The state government should talk and peacefully discuss the issue thoroughly and negotiate with them. It is the government’s responsibility to find a middle way through this issue and facilitate the protesters with the foremost attention and thinking. Although there have been a series of conversations between both parties, a conclusive solution has not been devised, which highlights that the administration has repeatedly ignored and avoided facing the actual concerns of the farmers. This is now resulting in disruptions in the common man’s life as communication and transportation through the city have become a lot more difficult than before, all because of the candid and underestimating attitude of the people in power. Hence, a detailed and extensive session should be hosted between the protesters and the government where farmers should have a chance to deliver their voices to the higher powers and everyone should collaborate to find a practical and

promising solution.

Lakshit Jindal

Question for next week

Given that unemployment is widely seen as the main driver for people seeking more lucrative opportunities abroad, and with the return of deportees from the US, shouldn’t there be a stronger focus on creating better employment opportunities within the state to prevent a future crisis?

Suggestions in not more than 150 words with passport size photograph can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (February 13)