25 security companies to tackle Delhi gherao

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 21

With farmers announcing their plan to assemble at Ganaur in Sonepat and Mayyar and Kheri Chopta in Hisar tomorrow as part of the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh’s February 23 Delhi gherao, government agencies are bracing up to deal with the situation.

SS Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, said 25 companies of Central armed police had been deployed to maintain law and order and the authorities in the districts told to ensure that there was no blockade on highways.

Unhappy with the BJP government at the Centre for not implementing Swaminathan Commission report and not giving loan waiver to farmers, the mahasangh, an amalgamation of over 60 farmers’ organisations across the country, had given a call to gherao Delhi on February 23.

“Farmers from across Haryana, Punjab and Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan will gherao Delhi from the Haryana side on the Chandigarh-Delhi and Hisar-Delhi highways,” said Gurnam Singh Charuni, state president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union.

He said farmers would gather in Ganaur, Mayyar and Kheri Chopta with their tractor-trolleys tomorrow and drive towards Delhi as part of their protest.

He said over 3,000 owners of tractor-trolleys had so far registered their vehicles for the protest and he expected a turnout of about 30,000 farmers tomorrow.

“The BJP had promised implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations in its manifesto for the 2014 General Election, but taken a U-turn after coming to power,” Charuni said.

“The government’s announcements regarding farmers in the Budget are an eyewash. No step has been taken to waive loans of farmers, who are in a state of distress. The country’s farmers are feeling cheated, hence we have decided to gherao Delhi,” he said.

Prasad said the government would not allow tractor-trolleys on the two highways tomorrow. He said he had spoken to DCs and SPs and told them to take all measures for ensuring free flow of traffic and maintaining law and order.

“The tractor-trolley is an agricultural vehicle and its use as a commercial vehicle for ferrying people cannot be permitted. Under the National Highways Act, there is a provision to stop slow-moving tractor-trolleys as these can cause hindrance in the free flow of traffic,” he said.

Sonepat DC KM Pandurang said the district authorities had made elaborate arrangements to maintain law and order and flow of traffic and deployed 10 companies of paramilitary forces in the district.