Commuters face the fallout of heavy border security at Singhu, Tikri

Twenty-seven months after farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh sat in protest at the Singhu border between the national capital and Haryana for 383 days, the Delhi police on Tuesday placed heavy fortifications at the site again to bar protesting farmers from entering the Capital.

Long walk: People in search of transport at Singhu border on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

The blockades at the Singhu and Tikri borders on Tuesday forced many people to cross roads and cover long distances on foot.

Twenty-seven months after farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh sat in protest at the Singhu border between the national capital and Haryana for 383 days, the Delhi police on Tuesday placed heavy fortifications at the site again to bar protesting farmers from entering the Capital.

Several farmers’ associations had called for the march on February 13 to demand a law guaranteeing MSP for their produce, one of the conditions they had set when they agreed to withdraw their agitation in 2021.

Several senior citizens complained about the inconvenience caused due to heightened security measures. Gulab Chand, a 60-year-old labourer, had gone to Tikri village with his wife to meet their daughter, but the two had to walk back home. “It is hard for me to walk long distances due to the pain in my joints. Last time, when the farmers protested, we couldn’t work because it was hard to commute. If it happens again, we don’t know if we will receive any assistance from the authorities. It is difficult to navigate through a blockade,” he said.

Shailash, an employee at a juice manufacturing unit in Karnal, had to walk back home with his 60-year-old mother after they missed the bus to Azamgarh. “Nobody provided us with any help,” remarked his aged mother.

Kamlesh and his wife Kalawati, travelled from Kundli, located north of the Singhu border, to north-east Delhi’s Bhajanpura to meet a family member, but had to make their way back on foot due to the blockade at the Singhu border. “I had to carry my two-year-old daughter for most of the journey,” said Mr. Kamlesh.

Jasbir, a resident of Panipat who had come to Singhu, added that he had to walk for over 10 km since his bus could not cross the barricade. “I had to walk a long distance with my wife and three children. It is difficult because there is no help from the authorities. Nobody wants to listen to our grievances. There is no respite for the poor. If this situation continues, how are we expected to commute?” he said.