Farmers block key highway over MSP for sunflower seeds
Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Shantanu Sharma said that the administration had called farmer leaders for talks, but they were adamant on their demand
Farmers blocked traffic on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway (National Highway 44) on Monday after holding a mahapanchayat at Pipli grain market in Kurukshetra district to press for a minimum support price (MSP) for sunflower seeds.
After repeated meetings with the district administration failed to yield results, farmer leaders gave a call to block NH44. Thousands of farmers on their tractor trailers reached the highway and blocked movement of traffic by parking their vehicles.
As farmers blocked the highway, congestion was seen at several points where vehicles were stuck and pedestrians were seen walking for kilometres amid scorching heat. Long queues of trucks and other vehicles were seen near the Ambala Cantt bus stand as vehicles took alternative routes and several of them were also seen arguing with the cops on duty.
Farmer leaders including Rakesh Tikait and Balbeer Singh Rajewal announced from the stage that they will support whatever decision is taken by the local farmers.
Even the talks with the Kurukshetra administration were going on, at 8pm the farmer leaders gave two hours’ time to the government to accept the demand or else they would continue the agitation indefinitely. Announcing this, farmer leader Suresh Koth said the farmers had decided if the government did not accept the demand the Samyukta Kisan Morcha would take the next call and such agitations for MSP could be launched in the entire country. Khap leaders and members of farmer unions have been asked to remain present at the protest site until the next decision.
The MSP Dilao, Kisan Bachao Mahapanchayat, called by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni faction), was held near NH44 and participants gathered on the highway in the afternoon, forcing Haryana Police to divert traffic from other routes.
In view of the protests and to avoid hassles for commuters, alternative routes have been earmarked in Ambala and Karnal on this major highway connecting Delhi with the north Indian states until further orders.
Officials said that traffic coming from the Chandigarh tricity area or Amritsar has been diverted at Sadhopur to NH152 (Chandigarh-Hisar) and commuters can travel via Ismailabad, Karnal and beyond via NH44 or can turn from Ambala Cantt bus stand to travel via Mahesh Nagar, Saha, Radaur, Ladwa, Karnal and beyond via NH44.
For traffic from Delhi, there are three alternative routes earmarked by authorities. The commuters can turn to Indri Road from Karnal on NH44 and travel via Ladwa, Babain, Shahbad and take NH44 for their further destination or turn right from Ladwa Chowk to travel via Radaur and take NH344 (Saharanpur-Panchkula) or travel till Nilokheri in Karnal and take Dhand road to reach Kaul and commute via NH152D for Ambala and beyond.
There are diversions for local traffic in Kurukshetra, where it has been advised to divert at Sector 2/3 to travel via Brahmasarovar, Kurukshetra University Gate no. 3 and take NH152D..
Similarly, commuters travelling from Chandigarh to Delhi have to avoid the Aman Hotel flyover and turn left for the Saha cut and travel via Dosarka, Adhoya, Babain, Ladwa, Indri and Karnal to take NH44 for Delhi.
Tejveer Singh, a spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), said, “Due to the anti-farmer policies of this government, we are always forced to protest for our rights. We are aware commuters are facing inconvenience but we are left with no option. We are providing special passage to ambulances at the protest site. This is a do-or-die protest demanding a law on MSP and unconditional release of farmer leaders arrested from Shahbad.”
Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Shantanu Sharma said that the administration had called farmer leaders for talks, but they were adamant on their demand and later blocked the highway. “We are taking up their issues with the higher authorities so that traffic movement can be restored,” he said.
At the mahapanchayat, farmer leader Karam Singh Mathana said the local administration had assured them of a meeting with chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar to discuss their demands. “But now they say the chief minister has left for Karnal. Because of this, the local committee which had organised the mahapanchayat decided to block NH44 till our demands are met,” Mathana said.
The chief minister was in Karnal to attend a Jan Samvaad, his outreach programme, on Monday morning.
On Saturday, he released ₹29.13 crore as interim compensation to 8,528 farmers for sunflowers grown on 36,414 acres. The farmers are demanding that the state government procure sunflowers at an MSP of ₹6,400 per quintal. Under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana -- price difference payment scheme -- the state government is giving ₹1,000 per quintal as interim support for sunflower crop sold below the MSP.
Wrestler Bajrang Punia also reached Pipli to attend the Kisan Mahapanchayat.
“I have come here to lend my support to the farmers. We are just demanding minimum price for our crops, and I request the government to ensure that the farmers get MSP for their produce. Being the son of a farmer, I can feel their pain and cannot see them sitting on roads,” he said while addressing the gathering.
“We do not know how to address the gathering as we were trained to win medals but now, we have to get united to raise our voice strongly,” he added. In his brief address, Punia also raised the issue of violence in Lakhimpur Kheri and said the government did not take action against Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni.
“The government did not take action against Teni and now we have to protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh,” he added.
