In Punjab, industrialists and the general public welcomed the eviction of farmers by the state government from Shambhu and Khanauri checkpoints with Haryana, last evening. Temporary structures put up by the farmers and their parked vehicles at the checkpoints have been removed. However, the highway is yet to be opened for vehicular traffic as authorities are still in the process of removing concrete barricades.
Both the border points were closed for almost over a year due to the ongoing protests by farmers demanding legal MSP on crops and to get some other demands fulfilled. The closing of the checkpoints was creating hurdles in the free flow of traffic on the Delhi-Amritsar highway resulting in losses to the Punjab industry and harassment to the general public.
Ludhiana-based Badish Jindal, President, World MSME Forum, while welcoming the decision to open the checkpoints said that the state was incurring 1,500 Crore rupees losses every month and the business was decreased from 15 to 20 per cent. He said the state has suffered losses to the tune of 10,000 crore rupees since 2019 till date. Narinder Singh Bhamra, President of Fasterner Manufacturers Association of India has also said that besides losses to the state industry, the blockades were creating problems for the general public as well.
Meanwhile, Our Jalandhar Correspondent reports that large number of police personnel have been deployed across the state to deal with any situation at the district level as farmer unions have decided to protest outside the offices of deputy commissioners and hold road blockades to register their protest against the arrest of farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher and others.
Though many opposition leaders condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the police action against farmers, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the step was necessitated for the economic growth of the state.
