Haryana traders, politicians welcome High Court’s directive to open Shambhu border

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, July 10

The traders and businessmen of Ambala, who had been suffering losses due to the closure of the Shambhu border since February, today welcomed the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to open the border on an experimental basis within a week.

The businessmen had been repeatedly requesting the government to get the matter resolved and open the border as a large number of customers used to come from Punjab and due to the closure of the border, their business was getting badly affected.

Court’s order

• More than five months after the ‘unlawful sealing of the border between Haryana and Punjab’ to prevent farmers from ‘protesting peacefully’ came under the judicial scanner, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the opening of the Shambhu border on an experimental basis within a week
• The high court also directed the states of Haryana and Punjab to coordinate with each other to ensure the maintenance of law and order at the border

Vishal Batra, president of Wholesale Cloth Market Association, said, “We welcome the order of the high court because the cloth market of Ambala City and the other businesses were suffering heavy losses due to the closure of the border. The farmers have all the right to raise their demands and go to Delhi. We request the government to resolve the issue and open the border at the earliest so that the businesses could revive.”

Viplove Singla, president of the Jan Jagriti Sangathan, said, “The high court’s order has come as a ray of hope for the businessmen and the people who have been working in various showrooms and shops in Ambala. Due to the ongoing situation, the sales have gone drastically down and people are finding it hard to keep their business afloat. The government should comply with the orders and start the process to open the border.”

Congress leader Nirmal Singh said, “The government had stopped the farmers forcefully by closing the Shambhu border. Due to the situation, the people of Ambala were also affected. We are grateful to the high court for directing the government to open the border.”

AAP’s senior state vice-president Anurag Dhanda said, “The government had unconstitutionally closed the Shambhu border, causing inconvenience to the commuters, resulting in financial losses. The farmers wanted to go to Delhi to raise their demands but they were stopped by the BJP government. The border should be opened at the earliest.”

Sources said even after the administration starts opening the border, it will take more than a couple of days to lift all blockades and break the cemented structures. The NHAI will assess the situation of the highway and carry out repairs before allowing commuting. Meanwhile, SP Surinder Singh Bhoria said, “We are yet to receive the copy of the high court order. The compliance of the directions of the high court will be ensured.”