CHANDIGARH — The shutdown call by farmer organisations evoked an enormous response in Punjab on Monday over their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops. However, emergency services remained open.
Over 200 trains were affected, including Vande Bharat and Shatabadi, besides private bus transporters joining the shutdown.
The bandh call was given in support of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal who has been on a hunger strike for more than a month seeking the implementation of farmers' demands.
Farmers, comprising women and old, were on the streets, forcing shops to down shutters and motorists not to move ahead. Most of the national highways in several cities and towns remained shut, badly impacting the movement of daily commuters and office-goers.
The nine-hour shutdown will remain effective till 4 p.m. However, there was no report of any untoward incident as the police were seen asking the motorists to avoid travelling or take link roads to reach their destinations.
Reports of the shutdown of shops and business establishments were received from Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Moga, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and other places. The impact of the shutdown was more effective in rural areas where farmers, carrying their outfit flags, closed almost all roads.
With the private bus transporters joining the strike, most of the private buses were off roads in Punjab. Several schools and offices had announced a holiday in the wake of the shutdown call.
In Chandigarh, the impact of the shutdown was not seen.
Protesting farm unions last week announced that they have received assurance from a wide spectrum of employee unions, traders, and transporters for joining their Punjab shutdown on December 30 in support of their demands.
Slamming the Centre for not accepting the demands of protesting farmers, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has clarified that emergency services, passengers bound for airports, and students going for exams would be exempted from the shutdown.
“Emergency services like medical services will continue, airport passengers will not be stopped, vehicles of marriage parties also will not be stopped. Besides, students will also be allowed to go for their exams. We urge the entire Punjab, especially the youth, to follow what the forum decides,” he has told the media.
The farmers have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri borders between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 in support of their long-pending demands. Besides the legal MSP for crops, they have been demanding loan waivers and reforms to improve conditions in the agricultural sector.
Another farm union, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking an appointment with her to discuss their issues.
The SKM said they wanted to address the situation surrounding farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s hunger strike and other “pressing issues”, including the introduction of a National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.
Meanwhile, Dallewal’s fast-unto-death entered the 35th day on Monday.
A delegation, led by the retired Additional Director General of Police Jaskaran Singh, met Dallewal on Sunday evening to convince the fasting leader to end his fast. However, the efforts remained unsuccessful.