Farmers block toll plazas in Hisar, Karnal

Tribune News Service

Hisar/Karnal, December 12

Intensifying their protest against the Centre’s new agri laws, farmers took over some toll plazas in Haryana on Saturday, not allowing authorities to collect fees from commuters.

All four toll plazas in Hisar district—located on the Delhi road, Rajgarh road, Sirsa road and Chandigarh road—on Saturday were taken over by protesting farmers, allowing vehicles to pass through without paying toll.

Meanwhile in Karnal, on the call given by various farmers’ unions, farmers closed the Bastara toll plaza on NH-44 and Peont toll plaza on Karnal-Jind National Highway-709A 

Farmers had closed the Bastara toll at midnight to give free passage to commuters in a move to protest against the three controversial agri laws.

Also read: Chapatti makers, washing machines ease farmers’ agitation at Tikri border

The Peont toll plaza was made free in the morning.

Bastara toll authorities again started the collection of toll in the morning, which the farmers got suspended.

A large number of farmers are at the toll plazas. The police force is also there to maintain law and order.

Earlier, the plan was to get toll plazas free from 8 am and administration had planned accordingly, but farmers coming from Punjab, with the help of local farmers, got the Bastara toll free at midnight.

Meanwhile at Jhajjar, the toll plaza on the Rohtak-Delhi highway, near Rohad village, continues to charge tax from commuters despite the call of protesting farmers for making all toll tax booths free in the state.

No farmer is present at the toll booth.

The agitating farmers had earlier said they would picket toll plazas to press their demand for a repeal of the three new laws, which were voted through in Parliament in September amid strong protests by opposition parties.

More than 100 farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders Malkit Singh and Manish Chaudhry gathered at a toll plaza on the Ambala-Hisar highway, around 15 kilometres from Ambala city.

The BKU activists raised slogans demanding the withdrawal of the farm laws.

In Punjab, toll charges are not being collected from commuters as farmers have been staging sit-ins at toll plazas since October 1.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is suffering a loss of Rs 3 crore per day on account of farmers’ protest at toll plazas in the state. There are 25 toll plazas on national highways in Punjab.

The three farm laws are anticipated to bring “reforms” in the agriculture sector by removing middlemen and allowing farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.

Farmers worry these laws will eliminate the safety net of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with mandis that ensure earning. But the government says the MSP system will continue and the new laws will give farmers more options to sell their crop.

Farmers from different parts of the country, including Haryana and Punjab, have been camping at various border points of Delhi for two weeks to demand a repeal of these laws.

They have rejected a government offer to amend the farm laws and give a “written assurance” on continuing the MSP system. They have also threatened to block railway tracks across the country and all highways leading to Delhi if their demand is not met. — With PTI