NEW DELHI: The 10-hour-long ‘Bharat Bandh’ by farmers against the central government’s three agriculture laws on Monday disrupted traffic movement across the national capital and its borders. There were 2-km-long queues of vehicles and the Gurugram-Delhi highway was heavily choked.
The call for Bharat Bandh was given by the farmers to mark the completion of 10 months of sit-in protest as well as to raise their voice against the Centre which is yet to pay any heed to them.
Intense checking by police compounded the commuters’ miseries at Gurugram-Delhi border. The vehicles plying to and from Delhi-Gaziabad also came to a halt as farmers sat on the middle of the road, blocking the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
The bandh began at 6.00 am and ended at 4.00 pm. The farmers blocked Delhi borders at Singhu, Tikri, Chilla and Ghazipur besides the Delhi-Noida flyway and Gurgugram-Delhi highway.
Due to traffic jams, the Delhi Traffic Police closed key border routes. They made several diversions to facilitate the commuters’ movement.
Keeping in mind the Red Fort incident, which had taken place on January 26, the police closed traffic movement on Red Fort including both carriageways — Chhatta Rail and Subhash Nagar.
“Due to Bharat Bandh, the local police closed the following points, Netaji Subhash Marg, both carriageways with Jersey barriers at Chhatta rail junction, Netaji Subhash Marg Carriageway from T-point Subhash park Carriageway at Khas cut near Kabutar Market,” said an official from the traffic police.
Ghazipur border was also closed from both sides due to the protest at NH 9 and NH 24. However, the traffic movement inside the national capital and areas like ITO, Mandi House was smooth. The traffic of NH 24 and NH 9 had been diverted to road number 56 to take Maharajpur Road, Apsara, and Bhopura borders from UP, said the police.
Many commuters to Twitter. “I am not against farmers. But why are you blocking roads? I am a doctor. I’ve to go to Noida, but I can’t go from this route,” said a commuter at Ghazipur border.