Rain brings misery to protesting farmers at Tikri

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, July 19

The first rain of monsoon season on Monday brought misery for protesting farmers camping at Tikri border as the water entered their huts forcing them to spend time by sitting on tractor-trolleys.

Their clothes, food items and other belongings kept in the huts got soaked in the water.

“No one could sleep after the rain started at 2 am on Monday. The rain was torrential hence it did not take much time to inundate the entire protest site. Those camping at HUDA parks in Bahadurgarh town are worst affected as water accumulated at knee-level there due to being located on low-lying areas,” said Pargat Singh, a BKU (Rajewal) leader.

He maintained many farmers were still using tractor-trolleys to take rest and to protect from rain as accumulated water was yet to be drained out. “We have requested local administration to ensure removal of stagnant water at the earliest,” Singh added.

Meanwhile, Swaiman Singh from Punjab, an office-bearer of the Five-Rivers Heart Association, a social outfit, has sought help from the people requesting them to provide JCB or other machines to clean the sewerage and drains for immediate removal of rainwater. He has posted a video message to social media.

“We have sufficient manpower to clean the sewerage and drains at the protest site but need either JCB or other machines which are used in desilting. Some people earlier assured us of extending succour but they did not move,” said Singh in the video.