Bharat Bandh: Delhi-NCR Witness Traffic Disruptions, Know About Impact In Other States

The bandh caused disruptions in traffic movement between Delhi and the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Massive traffic snarl seen at Gurugram-Delhi border as vehicles entering the national capital are being checked by Delhi Police. (Image: ANI)

New Delhi: Several protests and sit-in dharnas from a few states across the country were reported on Monday in view of the ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha.

The bandh caused disruptions in traffic movement between Delhi and the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

READ: Bharat Bandh Was Successful, Farmers Won’t Return Empty-Handed: Rakesh Tikait

Delhi:

The traffic movement was affected at the Ghazipur and Dhansa borders with the Delhi Police closing the vehicular movement on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh Ghazipur border.

There was massive traffic congestion at the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) flyway. The traffic moved at a snail’s pace on the Gurugram-Delhi border as all vehicles entering the national capital were thoroughly checked.

Punjab:

Punjab witnessed complete shutdown in view of the bandh against the Centre’s three agriculture laws. The protestors blocked national and state highways in several districts, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Mohali.

The transport services remained suspended due to the bandh. Besides, the shops and other commercial establishments too remained closed at several places.

Haryana:

The protesters also blocked highways in several districts of Haryana, including Panchkula, Karnal, Jhajjar, Hisar and Rohtak.

Besides, the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway was blocked at Shahabad in Haryana’s Kurukshetra by the protesters during the 10-hour bandh.

Maharashtra:

The normal life, however, remained unaffected in Maharashtra during the bandh period. The traffic movement remained normal and the commercial establishments were open as usual in Mumbai. The Congress workers gathered at several places in Mumbai and raised slogans against the government with regard to the farm bills. The protestors staged a road blockage in Nagpur.

West Bengal:

The bandh call got the support of the Left activists in the Trinamool Congress-ruled state as they blocked roads and railway tracks across West Bengal.

The normal life, though, remained unaffected in the state as the markets and shops were opened as usual.

Kerala:

The bandh call also got the backing of several trade unions in Kerala. The members of several trade unions formed a human chain in Kochi to support the bandh call.

Gujarat:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Gujarat too remained unaffected during the bandh period. The traffic movement was, however, affected in few areas as Surat-Mumbai and Ahmedabad-Rajkot highways were blocked for a brief period.

Jammu and Kashmir:

The Jammu district witnessed demonstrations and rallies during the bandh period. Scores of farmers and activists and took out a rally and sat on a dharna on the main road, leading to disruption of traffic. A related protest was held in Srinagar too.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of over 40 farm unions spearheading the farmers’ agitation, had called the ‘Bharat Bandh’ from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The farmers mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been since November last year demanding that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops.

The farmers fear the three contentious farm laws would do away with the Minimum Support Price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

Several rounds of talks between the farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock.