The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sent an advisory to the Punjab Government asking it to maintain law and order in the wake of the farmers' agitation, ANI quoted sources as saying.

 

The MHA advisory came as the protesting farmers announced to continue their 'Delhi Chalo' agitation on Wednesday. The Delhi Police has beefed up security in the national capital and directed its personnel to ensure strict vigil at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders.

 

The move comes after the protesting farmers rejected the Centre's proposal to buy pulses, maize and cotton crops through government agencies at minimum support price (MSP) for five years, and announced to continue with their agitation.

 

The Haryana Police has urged its Punjab counterparts to seize bulldozers and other earthmoving equipment from the interstate border which they say protesters will use to break barricades.

 

"These could pose a threat to the security forces deployed at the border," Haryana Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapoor said in an urgent communication to his Punjab counterpart Gaurav Yadav.

 

"It is reliably learnt that heavy earthmoving equipment, including proclain (digger), JCB etc., that have been further modified/armour-plated have been acquired by protesting farmers and have been deployed at the border locations where the protesters are camping right now," the letter written by the Haryana DGP stated.

 

Meanwhile, traffic was hit on Delhi-Gurugram, Delhi-Bahadurgarh and several other roads after heavy deployment was made to ensure law and order.

 

In the fourth round of talks with the farmer leaders on Sunday, a panel of three Union ministers proposed that government agencies would buy pulses, maize and cotton at the MSP for five years after entering into an agreement with farmers. Farmer leaders refused the proposal, saying it was not in favour of farmers.

 

The two border points of Delhi and Haryana - Tikri and Singhu - are sealed with the heavy deployment of police personnel and paramilitary forces and multi-layered barricades of concrete and iron nails.