CHANDIGARH: Given a call by the farmers’ organisation to reach the national capital on February 13 to protest over unfulfilled demands, Haryana has sealed its borders with Punjab for vehicular traffic and issued an advisory of alternate routes.
Police have issued a traffic advisory asking people to travel on main roads only for “urgent” work or emergency. Moreover, along with police, 50 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed in Haryana to maintain peace and order, an official said on Saturday.
According to sources, a strict vigil has been kept at petrol pumps of Ambala, the bordering district with Punjab, to prevent any misuse. Additionally, vehicles equipped with water cannons and drones have been deployed at the Shambhu border, besides cemented barricades near the toll plaza toll plaza in Ambala.
The Ambala district magistrate has imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the district. The administration has written to 400 villages ‘Sarpanches’, discouraging them from joining the protest.
The demands of the farmer organisations include a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, dropping cases against farmers, compensation for those who died during the
2021 agitation, farm loan waiver and “justice” to Lakhimpur Kheri incident victims and “strict” punishment to accused.
Internet suspended
Ahead of farmers’ proposed ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on Wednesday, the Haryana government on Saturday ordered the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS in seven districts ahead of farmers’ proposed from 6 am on February 11 to 23:59 pm on February 13.