High-velocity wind, rain uproot farmers’ huts at Tikri

Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Jhajjar, April 16

High-velocity winds coupled with rain uprooted the huts and tents of protesting farmers camping at Tikri border on Friday.

Water entered their camps leaving clothes, food items and other belongings of the farmers soaked. The farmers later repaired their huts and placed the clothes and other things in open to dry.

“We have suffered a heavy loss due to the storm accompanied with rains in the evening. Temporary abodes of many of the farmers were damaged and all things kept in the camp got wet but it will not affect our spirit and enthusiasm in any manner. We will not move from here without getting three farm laws repealed come what may,” said Anoop Chanaut, a farmer leader.

He maintained they were fully prepared to brave every sort of weather.

“We faced bone-chilling winter by sitting in the tractor-trailers at Tikri during initial days and now have made all arrangements to beat summer heat and to bear the rainy season by staying at huts hence no one is worried about the weather,” Chanaut added.

Pragat Singh, a BKU (Rajewal) leader, said some of the huts had been repaired by the farmers by helping each other while the remaining would be set up again in the morning as the electricity supply was not proper this time.

“A delegation of farmers today called on Bahadurgarh SDM Hitendra Sharma to complain about unavailability of basic amenities like cleanliness, adequate supply of potable water and electricity at the protest site at Tikri. The SDM has assured us of resolving the issue within one or two days,” said Singh, adding that the Bahadurgarh authorities had failed to ensure lifting of garbage from the protest site resulting in sewerage blockade and unhygienic conditions there.