Chandigarh: The shutdown call by farmer organisations evoked an enormous response in Punjab on Monday. Their demands included a legal guarantee for a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. However, emergency services remained open.

Over 200 trains, including Vande Bharat and Shatabadi, were affected, and private bus transporters joined the shutdown.

The bandh call was given in support of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for more than a month, seeking the implementation of farmers’ demands.

Farmers, including women and old people, were on the streets, forcing shops to close their shutters and motorists to avoid the area. Most of the national highways in several cities and towns remained shut, badly impacting the movement of daily commuters and office-goers.

The nine-hour shutdown will remain effective until 4 p.m. However, there was no report of any untoward incident, as the police were seen asking motorists to avoid travelling or take link roads to reach their destinations.

Reports of shops and business establishments shutting down were received from Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Moga, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, and other places. The shutdown’s impact was more effective in rural areas, where farmers, carrying their outfit flags, closed almost all roads.

With the private bus transporters joining the strike, most private buses were off the roads in Punjab. Several schools and offices announced a holiday in the wake of the shutdown call.

In Chandigarh, the impact of the shutdown was not seen.

Protesting farm unions last week announced that they received assurances from a wide spectrum of employee unions, traders, and transporters that they would join their Punjab shutdown on December 30 to support their demands.

Slamming the Centre for not accepting the demands of protesting farmers, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has clarified that emergency services, passengers bound for airports, and students going for exams would be exempted from the shutdown.

“Emergency services like medical services will continue, airport passengers will not be stopped, and vehicles of marriage parties also will not be stopped. Besides, students will also be allowed to go for their exams. We urge the entire Punjab, especially the youth, to follow what the forum decides,” he has told the media.

Since February 13 this year, the farmers have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri borders between Punjab and Haryana in support of their long-pending demands. In addition to the legal MSP for crops, they have been demanding loan waivers and reforms to improve conditions in the agricultural sector.

Another farm union, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), has written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking an appointment with her to discuss their issues.

The SKM said they wanted to address the situation surrounding farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s hunger strike and other “pressing issues,” including introducing a National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.

Meanwhile, Dallewal’s fast-unto-death entered the 35th day on Monday.

A delegation led by the retired Additional Director General of Police, Jaskaran Singh, met Dallewal on Sunday evening to try to convince the fasting leader to end his fast. However, the efforts were unsuccessful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

–IANS