As mercury heads north, bamboo huts come up at Singhu

Blurb: Farmers spending up to Rs2 lakh for comfortable stay at protest site

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Sonepat, April 11

With temperature heading north, bamboo huts and sheds with green nets replaced tractor-trailers at Singhu. Over 110 huts have been set up with facilities such as refrigerators, air coolers and fans to give farmers respite from the scorching heat.

The farmers are spending Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh on each such hut. Migrant labourers are working overtime to meet the growing demand.

The rising temperature has taken a toll on gathering at Singhu, the epicentre of the farmers’ protest, although farmer leaders claim it is due to the ongoing harvest season.

Ravinder Singh Phagwara of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar said they had been putting up at the Delhi border since November 26 last year. “It was easy during the winter months. Although staying in the open in scorching heat is difficult, we will not give up,” he said.

“Bamboo huts covered with tarpaulin and mosquito nets have been set up. A well-equipped hut costs around Rs 1.5 lakh and it can house now 40-45 people at one time,” he said.

Sharanpreet Singh, Ranjeet Singh and Amritpal Singh of Jalandhar have equipped their tractor-trailer with an air conditioner. They said they won’t step back till the laws were repealed.