NEW DELHI: Even though the stringent security measures were put in place for the safety of the residents of the national capital, it has yet again upset the locals as they are facing a hard time to reach their homes following the closure of roads that lead to the highway.
The police had completely sealed the road with cement boulders and barricades at the Tikri border following which the traffic was put on halt.
The commuters going to their respective destinations were angry. “We have nothing to do with any protest. We have to reach home after work, we are showing our identity cards at more than three different places,” said Raja Ram, who works as a labourer and is a resident of Tikri Kalan.
Devendra Singh, who owns an eatery near Tikri border Metro station, too expressed similar sentiments. “Farmers are coming from Haryana and Punjab. We have nothing to do with any protest, but we are facing difficulties doing our business as police do not allow us to open our shops,” Singh said.
A senior police officer, who was at the site, said that the police are fully prepared to deal with any kind of law and order condition. “Multi-layered security arrangement is in place to stop the farmers from entering Delhi,” he said.
Meanwhile, villagers are facing huge traffic chaos after traffic was diverted from different routes from Mundka of Delhi towards Haryana. “There are many schools in villages. Children are facing difficulty in crossing roads to reach their home. If police
diverted the traffic, they must deploy someone to manage it as well,” said Surender Kumar, resident of Tikri Kalan village. To check who are entering in the national capital, additionally, surveillance technologies such as drones and CCTV cameras are being utilized to monitor miscreants and mischievous elements.
Notably, the Tikri area of west Delhi is house to one of the biggest footwear manufacturing industries for which around 4 lakh labourers daily commute to their respective industries for work.
Sources said that during the last farmers’ protest in 2021, the industry incurred a loss of around Rs 20 Crore. Beside the footware industry, the Bawana Industrial area (BIA), also fear loss of business. The BIA too houses many industries like plastic granules, stainless steel, clothes and nuts and bolts among others.
One of the industrialists, on the condition of anonymity, told this newspaper that the manufacturing cost increased due to farmers' protests as they had to take detours at many places to supply their product.