Today, farmers have announced Punjab bandh leading to the closure of all shops across the state and disruptions in road and rail services. However, emergency services will continue to operate.
Punjab is closed in support of farmers who are agitating for 13 demands, including the guarantee of MSP of crops. The farmers closed the highway at 7 am and have sat on the Amritsar-Delhi and Jalandhar-Delhi national highways.
Buses will also be suspended from 10 am. The bandh has been supported by religious and social organisations, employees, traders and gangs. In the state, 52 trains have been cancelled while 22 have been diverted. Markets and institutions will also be closed during this period.
However, there will be no disruption in emergency services. If someone has an exam, interview, etc., then he will not be stopped. All universities, including Punjab University, Chandigarh, have postponed the exams scheduled for today. Farmer leaders have appealed to the people for cooperation to make the Punjab bandh a success. Police and administration are also on alert mode in all districts.
There will also be no supply of milk, fruits, and vegetables until the protest ends on evening as several trade organisations lent their support to the bandh. Indian Oil's petrol pump located near Paragpur on the national highway in Jalandhar has been closed. The petrol pump was open till 7:30 am, but after 7.30 am, when the farmers became active, it was closed.
"Farmer union leaders will enforce a chakka jam on roads and rail lines from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Government and private institutions are requested to stay closed. Only emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, marriage vehicles, or anyone in a dire emergency, will be allowed to pass," reports quoted a senior farm leader as saying.
The decision to give a call for a 'Punjab bandh' was taken last week by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM).
Sarwan Singh Pandher, the coordinator of both forums, said traders, transporters, employees unions, toll plaza workers, labour, ex-servicemen, Sarpanches and teachers' unions, social and other bodies, and some other sections have lent their support to the bandh.
Farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
With Jagjit Singh Dallewal's indefinite hunger strike entering its 34th day on Sunday, farmer leaders at Khanauri said they have been following the Gandhian way to continue their protest and it is up to the government to decide whether it wants to use force to evict their senior leader.
He further said the farmers wanted to make it clear that whatever situation arises the responsibility will lie with the Centre and the constitutional bodies. Rail movement and road traffic will remain closed today.
While the PRTC bus services will be shut for four hours, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the private bus operators have announced their full support, thus declaring the suspension of services across the state from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m today.
Besides a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands. This bandh, the farmer leader said, will force the Centre to accept the demands of farmers. He slammed the Union government for failing to accept the demands of farmers.
Farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after security forces stopped their march to Delhi.
A "jatha" (group) of 101 farmers made three attempts to enter Delhi on foot on December 6, December 8, and again on December 14. Security personnel in Haryana prevented them from proceeding. There will be a complete bandh on December 30, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said.
Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the call for a 'Punjab bandh' on December 30 is getting good support from various sections. The decision to give a call for a 'Punjab bandh' was taken last week by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. To ensure the success of the bandh, SKM (Non-political) and KMM convened a meeting of transporters, employees, traders and others at the Khanauri protest site last Thursday.
Impact on Services:
- Transportation: Both public and private bus services are suspended during the bandh hours. Rail and road traffic are also disrupted, with over 200 trains impacted, including 163 cancellations.
- Supply Chains: Deliveries of milk, fruits, and vegetables are halted until the protest concludes this evening.
- Educational Institutions and Offices: Government and private offices, as well as educational institutions, are expected to remain closed during the bandh.
- Emergency Services: Medical services, wedding-related travel, job interviews, and airport transfers are exempt from the bandh and will continue to operate.