Farmers' stir: Diversions at Shambhu barrier add to commuters’ woes

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 12

It is 3.30 pm at the Shambhu barrier, where a bridge over the Ghaggar is sealed and security agencies are carrying mock drills of drones carrying tear gas. The highway from Rajpura to Shambhu wears a deserted look as farmers continue to gather in nearby villages. Villagers are anxious whether if ‘Dilli Chalo’-2020 will be repeated this time too.

The Punjab Police have diverted traffic and laid nakas urging commuters not to go towards the barrier. Even the Pehowa road has been blocked by Haryana cops, leaving commuters with only a couple of designated roads or the narrow lanes in the villages connecting the two states. People were even seen walking through the shallow Ghaggar water to enter Ambala.

When The Tribune team visited the barrier, cops deployed at a naka said that, “There is nothing more to be done by us as the priority is to ensure smooth traffic movement. If the farmers approach this stretch of the highway on their tractors and trolleys, we don’t know what to do. Only the seniors can answer that,” said a couple of cops.

“I started from Morinda to reach Delhi. After almost two diversions and over two hours of waiting in the traffic jam at Derabassi, I reached the Shambhu barrier only to be diverted towards Pehowa. It has been hell of a journey in this complete traffic mess,” said Pawan Kumar, travelling back to Delhi after attending a cremation of a close relative.

Dozens like him were seen making inquiries from the cops at the nakas on which roads to use for reaching Delhi. Village roads are also jammed due to the sudden inflow of traffic and we are urging such vehicle owners to carry eatables and water with them in case they are caught in a long jam,” said cops.

Meanwhile, traders on both sides of the highway continue to suffer financial losses amid fears of a repeat of 2020, when the farmers had blocked the stretch at many places for months. “For the past two days the sale at my tile unit has been zero. Even the dhaba that I own just 100 m away is shut. I hope the farmers and the government reach some conclusion. We have barely come out of the losses we suffered three years back,” said Kuldeep Singh, a trader near Shambhu.

Patiala SSP Varun Sharma also visited the nakas to take stock of the situation. “We are making all efforts to ensure that commuters are not harassed,” he stated, adding that additional force has been deployed and all police stations have been put on alert.

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