Nation

Businesses at farmers' protest sites in Delhi heave sigh of relief after repealing of three laws

Ankita Upadhyay

NEW DELHI: While Jivan Singh is busy flipping dough and putting it in a tandoor, he also breathes freely after he is informed that the government has decided to repeal the contentious farm laws following which the protest site at NH 44 will open soon and will bring more business for him. 

Not much business has come the eatery owner's way post COVID-19 pandemic and it worsened even more after the protesters set up their tents at the site. However, Jivan said that he had no qualms about the protesting farmers who, he said, also suffered at the hands of the government.

Ravi Kumar, a pharmacy owner said he faced a lot of hassles while bringing supplies from the vendors. "Truck drivers delivering my supplies got angry and didn’t want to as they had to take a longer route here because of the protest," he said.

At the Tikri Border, Chhotey Lal, a garment vendor said that he has been unable to repay his debt worth Rs 2 lakh since the border was shut. "I have not made even Rs 50,000 in the last 1 year and I have a loan to repay," Chhotey Lal said. 

He said that all this while the farmers have been generous to people living nearby. "The farmers ensured that people living in the nearby areas get food and dairy products which they used to bring in from their villages," said Lal.

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