Gurugram, (Samajweekly) As the farmers’ demonstration is intensifying day-by-day, the Haryana Police have installed barricades at four locations on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway to stop farmers from entering the national capital, resulting in blockages on the national highway.
These four key locations include Kapdiwas Chowk in Gurugram, Masani barrage in Dharuhera, Sangwari village in Rewari and Jaisinghpur Khera (Haryana-Rajasthan border) on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway.
With these blockages which resulted in traffic diversions on the expressway, the commuters going from Jaipur to Delhi and Delhi to Jaipur have to cover an extra 100 kms to reach their destination.
Meanwhile, the police have diverted Jaipur-bound vehicles from Bilaspur, Kapriwas and Sidhrawali and Shahpura. Delhi-bound vehicles were diverted from Kotputli and Behror.
The Gurugram police have also set up barricades at Kapdiwas Chowk (Gurugram-Rewari border) after the clash between farmers and the police on Sunday.
With the NH-48 already blocked, heavy traffic movement is being seen on the alternative routes, like Pataudi Road and Kapdiwas Chowk in Gurugram, Bhiwadi in Rajasthan and Masani barrage in Rewari.
Following Sunday’s incident in which a group of farmers had breached police barricades and enter Bawal in Rewari with the intention of marching towards the national capital, the Haryana police along with CRPF, CISF, RAF and anti-riot team have been stationed on the Sabi flyover in Dharuhera located on the expressway to keep an eye on farmers protesting on the highway.
Meanwhile, hundreds of commercial vehicles including many container trucks are facing traffic hurdles between Kapdiwas and Masani barrage in Rewari for the last two days, though private and light commercial vehicles headed towards Jaipur are being diverted by the Rewari police towards Bhiwadi at Kapdiwas Chowk.
According to the police, over 2,000 farmers from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana and members of trade unions have gathered at Shahjahanpur (Haryana-Rajasthan border) on the national highway in support of farmers’ demonstration since December 13.
On December 29, farmers had broken the barricades at Shahjahanpur and they had entered Rewari on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, crossing the Shahjahanpur inter-state border in Rajasthan, as the police were not letting them enter Haryana.
“We are in touch with the adjoining districts to manage and control the situation and keep vigil on protesting farmers in Rewari. We have also deployed police personnel in Dharuhera and other protesting sites. In view of the current situation, we have diverted the traffic so that commuters do not face any inconvenience,” said Abhishek Jorwal, superintendent of police (Rewari).
Though both carriageways of the Delhi-Jaipur expressway were blocked at Shahjahanpur border since December 29, the Rewari Police installed containers and put up barricades near Masani barrage in Dharuhera on Sunday evening to stop farmers’ movement towards Delhi.
“Due to this clash between police and farmers the supply of essential things such as milk, vegetables was also hit for families staying in a group residential societies in Dharuhera located between Kapdiwas Chowk and Masani barrage,” said a member of Dharuhera-based RWA.
Aman of Alwar, a daily passenger, who was waiting for a bus at Gurugram’s Rajiv Chowk said, “Before the farmers’ stir a number of buses were available heading towards Rajasthan but now a few buses are heading towards Rajasthan and those who are running are asking extra fare due to route diversion”.
“We have alerted all the seniors’ officials and their teams, and Bilaspur and Manesar police teams are already on alert. Barricades have been put up and extra force has been deployed at all the border points connecting Haryana with other states,” K.K. Rao, commissioner of police, said.
“We don’t want any confrontation with the police. We are here for our rights and our demonstration against the three agricultural laws will continue till they are rolled back. We will discuss our future course of action after meeting with other union members,” said a member of Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
