CHANDIGARH: Farmers of Punjab on Thursday intensified their protest and assured commuters of toll-free travel at 18 plazas in 10 districts of the state against the AAP government for ignoring their demands. Tense situation prevailed at a few places after farmers and toll plaza employees entered into heated arguments.
The influential Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) – which has presence in Majha and Doaba regions of the state besides some parts of Malwa region – had given a call to hold protests at 18 toll plazas for a month from December 15 to January 15. The reason: to press the state to accept their various demands, including a farm debt waiver, remunerative prices for crops and compensation for damage to crops.
Toll-free travel will be ensured by the protesting farmers at Amritsar (Kathunagal, Mannawala and Chiddan near Attari), Tarn Taran (Usma and Mannan), Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Moga, Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts have been made toll free.
KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “The government is pro-corporate and this is the reason why we have decided to make toll plazas free thus now any vehicle passing through the toll plazas will not pay any toll till January 15.”
Amarinder meets PM in Delhi, flags ‘poor’ law & order in Punjab
Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament House Complex in Delhi, and flagged the law-and-order situation in Punjab terming it quite grim. He added that he has seen the movement of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and does not want those to be repeated. Referring to growing clout of Amritpal Singh and his supporters and terming that it was a matter of grave concern, Amarinder, who joined the saffron party in September said, “The incident of arson outside a Gurdwara in Jalandhar by supporters of Amritpal Singh is worrisome. He is fashioning himself after Bhindranwale. The situation is quite grim.”