Chandigarh, December 30 (UITV)- The bandh called by farmers in Punjab on Monday had a massive impact, which was done over several demands including a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. The bandh was especially in support of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for the last one month, appealing to meet the demands of the farmers. The bandh had a profound impact in various parts of Punjab, although emergency services were continued.
The Punjab bandh was called by farmer organizations from 7 am to 4 pm and during this period normal life was badly affected across the state. Farmer organizations closed roads and major routes over their demands, affecting the traffic system. In Jalandhar city, farmers completely closed the Jalandhar-Ludhiana highway and the highway was also blocked near Jalandhar Cantt railway station. The road traffic system of the state was completely affected due to this bandh and passengers were facing great difficulties.
During the shutdown, passengers faced a lot of problems. A large number of people were waiting for buses at the Jalandhar bus stand, but no buses were running due to the farmers’ protest. Passengers were unable to reach their destination and had to return from the bus stand with their luggage. Meanwhile, the Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC) also supported the shutdown call and suspended the services of all PRTC buses in the state. No PRTC buses were seen at the ISBT (bus stand) in Sector 43, Chandigarh and passengers had to wait for the buses to run.
The impact of this shutdown was felt across Punjab, especially in urban and rural areas. Shops and business establishments were closed in major cities like Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Moga, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar. In rural areas, farmers carrying flags of their organization closed roads and participated in the protest. The farmers also closed the Kathu Nangal toll plaza in Amritsar and did not allow anyone to pass through it. This situation will continue till the time of the bandh ends.
A shopkeeper from Ferozepur said that he decided to keep his shop closed in support of the farmers and planned to continue it till 4 pm. However, essential services such as medical stores will remain open and people will continue to receive medicines. Shopkeepers and passersby said that the issue of farmers is very important and immediate action should be demanded from the government to resolve it. Traders also said that their businesses have come to a standstill due to the shutdown, causing economic losses.
Private bus transporters also joined the bandh violence due to which most of the private buses in Punjab were missing from the roads. The strike by private transport companies further complicated the traffic system. In view of the bandh call, many schools and offices had announced a holiday, which also affected normal working life.
The main objective of this bandh called by the farmers was to put pressure on the government regarding the demands of other farmer interests including legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops. Farmer organizations allege that the government has not taken their demands seriously and that is why they are protesting. The main reason for this movement is the government’s neglect towards those farmers and not solving their problems.
Peace prevailed across the state during the Punjab bandh and no untoward incident has been reported at the moment. The police appealed to the passengers and drivers to avoid traveling and use alternative routes to reach their destination. The police had made security arrangements so that any kind of unpleasant situation could be avoided.
Farmer leaders say that they will continue such protests until their demands are met. They believe that the government should protect the rights of the farmers and meet their demands immediately. After this protest, now the pressure is increasing on the government to take the issues of the farmers seriously and find a solution soon.
This development makes it clear that the farmers’ movement in Punjab is still strong and there is a need for dialogue between the state and central government on their issues. The issues of farmers have become a topic of discussion not only in Punjab but in the entire country and this movement has once again played an important role in bringing the problems of farmers to the national level.