Year on, Shambhu closure remains a hurdle for traders, commuters

One year on, the closure of Haryana-Punjab interstate Shambhu border continues to be a cause of inconvenience for commuters, local businessmen as well as agitating farmers.

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The Shambhu toll plaza saw cemented barricades and barbed wires come up, besides heavy police deployment to prevent the farmers from marching towards Delhi on February 13 last year. It has been lying sealed since.

A large number of vehicles heading for Punjab can be spotted taking a U-turn near the toll plaza and seeking alternative routes. Transporters and commercial vehicle owners claimed to have suffered heavy losses during this period as they have to burn extra fuel to deliver goods.

Not only road users, but also traders in Ambala City markets, especially those dealing in clothes — who used to get a large number of customers from Punjab — have been facing the brunt of the ongoing tussle between the farmers and the government.

The Ambala clothes market has an estimated annual turnover of over Rs 2,000 crore.

Vishal Batra, president of the Wholesale Cloth Market Association, said, “A large number of customers used to come from Punjab, but due to the closure of the border since February last year, there has been a huge drop in sales. We have raised the matter at all levels from the state government to the Centre, and even approached the court, but the situation remains unchanged.”

“We even tried to get the matter resolved by approaching farmer unions, but it led to a controversy and we decided to adopt a wait-and-watch policy. Earlier, we hoped that the border would be opened after the Lok Sabha elections, and then, the Assembly poll, but now a sense of disappointment prevails in the market,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) spokesman Tejveer Singh said, “The farmers wanted to go to Delhi peacefully to raise their genuine demands, but the BJP government sealed the border. The government is not concerned about the plight of farmers, commuters and businessmen. Businessmen in Punjab are also facing losses.”