Liquor unit: Villagers block NH for 7th day

fazilka, February 21

To protest against the setting up of a liquor unit, villagers and farmers continue to block the Fazilka-Abohar stretch of the NH-7 near Hiranwail Maur village for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday.

The NH has been blocked since February 15.

Anil Jhinja, sarpanch of Hiranwali village, said the unit was being set up on 28 acres by a senior Congress leader in the village, which was being opposed by locals and farmers. He said the construction of the boundary wall of the unit had begun amid the ongoing protest. Jhinja said they had also submitted a memorandum to Fazilka Deputy Commissioner in this regard but to no avail.

Cutting across party lines, leaders of major political parties, including Congress MLA Davinder Singh Ghubaya, ex-MLA Mohinder Kumar Rinwa, BJP ex-minister Surjit Kumar Jyani, ex-MP Sher Singh Ghubaya and AAP leader Atul Nagpal among others, expressed their solidarity with the villagers.

Meanwhile, commuters remained inconvenienced as they had to travel for more than 50 km, that too, through link roads instead of the 32-km stretch between Fazilka and Abohar on the NH. Large number of trucks plying between Jammu and Kandla port in Gujarat through this road had also been stuck due to the blockade. — OC