Punjab: Thousands of commuters, including foreigners, old, infirm and those wanting to catch flights from the Amritsar airport, were trapped in a 3-km-long traffic jam on of the Amritsar-Pathankot national highway at Babri bypass,
5 km from Gurdaspur on the Batala road, today.
Around 700 farmers gathered at the Babri bypass around 11 am and blocked the traffic, causing inconvenience to thousands. People from HP and J&K who wanted to catch flights from Amritsar could be seen stranded for hours. Repeated pleas to farm leaders to allow them to pass evoked no response.
The farmers were demanding increase in the price of sugarcane to Rs 450 per quintal, withdrawal of taxes imposed on petrol and diesel and easy availability of DAP fertiliser.
Commuters said farmers blocking roads had become a routine due to which vehicular traffic often remained disrupted for hours.
“It is high time the police showed some spine. These agriculturists have developed a knack of blocking important highways at the drop of a hat. In fact, they should be booked by the police,” said a harried woman who missed her flight to Kuala Lumpur from the Amritsar airport.
Interestingly, the district administration has earmarked some places in the city where farmers can hold protests. However, farmers ignored the administration’s directives and kept on moving towards Babri. Once there, they pitched tents and sat in the middle of the highway, unmindful of the trouble it caused to the common man.
Ambulances carrying the sick could be seen trapped in the jam without making any headway for hours. “We are not the decision-makers. The decision-makers are the CM and government officers. Why don’t they hold protests in front of the CM’s house or the DC’s residence?” questioned a commuter who was on his way to Srinagar from Amritsar.
With Deputy Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta indisposed, it was left to SDM Karamjit Singh and DSP Mohan Singh to convince the farmers to end the blockade. The SDM held discussions with the protesters, after which they dispersed. Officers assured them they would forward their demands to the government.
