Shut KMP toll plaza near Tikri border in 3 days or face protest, admn warned

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, April 18

Farmers and the district administration are at loggerheads over the Aasoda toll plaza situated on the KMP expressway near the Tikri border. More than 200 farmers assembled at the toll plaza today against the administration’s decision to restart the operations in the face of the protest.

The farmers served a three-day ultimatum on the toll operator and the administration to close the toll plaza. If it would not be closed before April 22, farmers would picket it again, they warned.

They went back after protesting at the toll plaza for two hours.

On April 13, the toll operator in the police presence of the police had resumed operations two-and-a-half months. The next day, the farmers protested and forced the operator to shut operations and gave free passage to commuters. Bahadurgarh SDM Hitendra Sharma and DSP Pawan Kumar were present there, but they remained mute spectators.

Subsequently, 125 farmers were booked on the charges of rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal intimation, obstructing public servant in discharging their duty and disobedience to official orders.

On April 15, a heavy police force was deployed at the toll plaza and the toll operator resumed charging the toll. This made farmers agitated and they again assembled at the toll plaza.

A farmer leader said: “Farmers don’t want violence. A committee of farmers asked the SDM and other officials about the reason for resuming operations when we had told the operator to shut the plaza four days ago. The officials sought three days to resolve the matter. We requested them to close the plaza by noon on April 22, or else farmers will camp here permanently.”

The SDM could not be contacted in spite of repeated attempts.