‘Dilli Chalo’ march: Haryana pulls out all stops to curb Punjab farmers' entry

Tribune News Service

Geetanjali Gayatri

Chandigarh, February 12

With multiple-layer barricading, deployment of force, suspension of internet in seven districts and imposition of Section 144 in 15 of the 22 districts of Haryana in place, the Haryana Government has made elaborate arrangements to check the entry of the farmers from Punjab for tomorrow’s “Dilli Chalo” protest march. The partial closure of inter-district roads has also begun in the state to slow down traffic movement across the state.

The district administration took stock of the arrangements through the day and held mock-drills, testing various equipment, including drones, water cannons and teargas shells, in the “sensitive” districts. Containers, spike strips, concrete blocks have been stocked along the GT Road right up to Sonepat to check the movement of the farmers. All districts which border Punjab or Delhi are on high alert and 114 companies (64 of the paramilitary forces and 50 of the Haryana Police), equipped with anti-riot gear, have been deployed at all strategic locations.

Unlike the agitation over farm laws in which Punjab farmers received tremendous support from their counterparts in Haryana and the cooperation of the locals and khaps, the “Dilli Chalo” march to press for a law on the minimum support price among other things has failed to elicit a response from most quarters.

According to sources, some farmer groups from Ambala and Sirsa have extended support while the BKU (Charuni), which was in the forefront of the agitation on farm laws, has distanced itself completely from the march.

A farmers’ union, Bhartiya Kisan Ekta, organised a tractor march in several villages of Sirsa district as a show of strength while the BKU (Kheti Bachao) in Fatehabad also claimed to be ready with 100 tractors for tomorrow’s march.

While diversions have been put in place by blocking arterial roads in the districts, one side of the highway on the Jind-Rohtak border near Lakhan Majra village has been blocked and check points have been installed on the border points of Hisar and Bhiwani. The Panipat and Sonepat police have made a plan to stop the agitating farmers jointly near Patti Kalyana village of Panipat.

The Haryana roadways buses will ply on diverted routes, wherever possible.

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