State comes to a grinding halt during Punjab Bandh

Road and rail traffic came to a grinding halt during the statewide bandh call given by kisan unions in support of farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been observing fast-unto-death for the past 35 days to demand a legal guarantee for a minimum support price (MSP) on all crops, among others.

The bandh from 7 am to 4 pm passed off peacefully in Malwa, Doaba and Majha as protesting farmers blocked all key roads and toll plazas, thus causing harassment to commuters.

The buses, including Punjab Roadways, Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and private operators remained off the road throughout the day.

JS Grewal, head, Small Scale Bus Operators’ Welfare Association, said, they were fully supporting the protesting farmers. Members of the Revenue Patwar Union and PRTC Employees’ Union expressed solidarity with the farming community.

In Patiala, all roads and markets wore a deserted look. Work at the vegetable market, government establishments, including the railway station, and Punjabi University remained stalled. Most of the private establishments also remained shut. At many places, members of the farm union forced shopkeepers and banks to pull down the shutters. Supply of milk, vegetables and other items to cities was hampered, besides highways and major intersections were blocked by the farmers.

In Sangrur, shopkeepers, transporters and farmers observed complete bandh. Several as roads were blocked by the farmers at Lehragaga, Dirba, Sangrur, Chhajli, Bhawanigarh, Channo, Cheema, Longowal, Badrukhan and Kularana village (near Sunam). While buses remained off the road, the protesting farmers blocked track at the Gurne railway station near Lehragaga. Barring chemist shops, all markets remained closed in Lehragaga, Dhuri, Sangrur, Dirba, Sunam, Khanauri, Moonak and Longowal.

Not just the shops, some petrol stations also remained shut in Muktsar. The farmers had blocked Muktsar-Kotkpaura Road, Muktsar-Malout Road, Malout-Fazilka Road, Malout-Delhi Road and Malout-Bathinda Road. Other than emergency services, all services remained disrupted in the district. The local bus stand, too, wore a deserted look and the passengers faced difficulty in reaching their destinations.

In Abohar, the bandh affected the functioning of banks. Members of the farm unions staged a sit-in on Abohar- Malout Chowk, Sriganganagar Road, Hanumangarh Road, Sadulshehar Road and Sitto Gunno Road. The residents by and large preferred to stay at their houses. Though railway station and bus stand wore a deserted look, emergency services remained operational.

Office-bearers and activists of various outfits working for the rights of farmers organised dharnas at Sandaur on Malerkotla Road, Jagera Bridge on Malerkotla-Ludhiana Highway and in Amargarh on Malerkotla-Patiala highway.

Life came to a halt in Moga and Faridkot as there was no availability of milk and vegetables. Many trucks were seen stranded on the roadside dhabas, waiting for the bandh to end at 4 pm. Farmers staged the protest at main junctions in Jaito, Kotkapura and Faridkot. They also blocked the Bathinda-Amritsar highway. The protesters also blocked rail tracks at Kotkapura and Faridkot stations. In Moga, farmers blocked the Ludhiana-Ferozepur and Moga-Jalandhar highways and the Ferozepur-Moga-Ludhiana rail track.

Normal life came to a standstill in Phagwara, Goraya, Banga, Phillaur, Nawanshahr and Nakodar. Bus and rail services remained completely suspended throughout the day. Hundreds of rail passengers remained stranded in waiting hall of the Phagwara railway station.

The impact of Punjab Bandh was completely observed in Jalandhar. At Dhanowali village, members of the BKU Sidhupur, BKU (Doaba) and BKU (Ekta-Sidhupur) blocked the national highway, however, emergency vehicles were given free passage. Main markets of the city remained closed and no buses plied. Passengers at the bus stand and railway station were seen waiting for the bandh to end so that they could reach their destinations.

Most business establishments, besides educational institutions remained closed due to the bandh in Ferozepur. Hundreds of farmers blocked the roads at various points, including octroi number 7 in the Cantonment area, Talwandi Bhai underbridge, Bengali bridge on the NH-5 in Makhu, Ferozeshah Toll Plaza, Lehrarohi village chowk Amritsar-Bathinda highway and Basti Tankan Wali near the Cantonment Railway Station.