Farmers' Tractor March Begins Near Yamuna Expressway, Noida Police Issues Traffic Advisory

Rakesh Tikait had announced to take out a tractor march on February 26 to draw the centre's attention towards the farmers' demands.

As announced by Rakesh Tikait last week, the farmers belonging to Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Tikait and BKU LokShakti started the tractor march on Monday morning demanding the slew of rights that the farmers seek from the Centre, including a legal guarantee on MSP for 23 crops. Several farmers were seen atop tractors near the Yamuna Expressway in Noida to participate in the tractor march.

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait while talking about the tractor march stated: "A program to take out a 'Tractor chain' has been decided. Tractors will be parked on the highway that leads to Delhi, especially the divider highway...It was decided to register a different kind of protest so that the government would listen to us and not forget the farmers."

He also stated that the farmers had gone to Chandigarh for a meeting of Sanyukt Morcha and had formed a 6-member committee to hold dialogues with other farmer organisations.

"We had gone to Chandigarh for a meeting of Sanyukt Morcha. We have formed a 6-member committee. It has been formed to hold dialogues with all the farmer organisations that are separate from Sanyukt Morcha...If any organisation wants to join the Sanyukt Morcha, it can have a dialogue with the committee," Tikait said.

The tractor march is expected to cause massive traffic snarls near the Delhi-Noida border as the farmers will reportedly gather at Greater Noida's toll plaza and proceed towards the Chilla border. 

Traffic Advisory By Noida Police

The Noida Police issued a traffic advisory ahead of the farmers' proposed tractor march towards Delhi. The advisory stated that the BKU Tikait faction would march on the Yamuna Expressway, Mahamaya Flyover, and Luharli Toll Plaza. 

The police stated that it would perform intensive checking by installing barriers on all the borders from Gautam Buddh Nagar to the Delhi border which would increase traffic congestion in the surrounding areas.

The advisory also urged the people commuting to Delhi to use metros as much as possible to avoid getting stuck in traffic.

The tractor march comes in after two other farmers' groups All India Kisan Sabha and Bhartiya Kisan Parishad demonstrated in front of the Greater Noida Authority office and at NTPC Noida.