Farmers make Ladhowal toll barrier free for 5 hours over land pooling policy

Farmer organisations on Tuesday made the Ladhowal toll barrier free for commuters. Motorists passed the state’s expensive toll barrier without paying during the protest. Farmers raised slogans against the government during the protest.

Farmers started the protest at the toll plaza at 11 am, allowing public vehicles to pass without paying toll tax. The protest was primarily against the state government’s ‘land pooling policy’. Furthermore, the farmers had long been demanding justice in cases of land mortgages.

Farmers said the proposed India-US free trade agreement could be detrimental to the interests of the agricultural sector and local farmers.

The plan for the massive protest was announced earlier to make all toll barriers in the state free on Tuesday, said Jagjit Singh Dallewal, national convener of the non-political Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur).

Dallewal, while targeting the government, alleged that efforts were being made to acquire state’s fertile agricultural land and hand it over to large corporate houses. The land pooling policy was a step in this direction, which farmers would not accept at any cost.

Vipin Rai, manager, Ladhowal toll barrier, said due to the protest, the company managing the toll plaza suffered over Rs 50 lakh. Earlier also, whenever the toll was made free by farmers, the company faced losses in lakhs.

The protest started at 11 am and ended at 4 pm. Members of the farmer unions warned that if the government would not pay heed to their demands, they would again make the toll barrier free for commuters.