In the latest development to the ongoing farmers’ protest against the Center’s three controversial agriculture laws, the supreme court today ordered the government to find a solution to the blockade of roads owing to the demonstration.
The apex court was hearing a plea from a Noida resident who sought an order to keep the road between Noida and Delhi free. The order was passed by the bench of Justices SK Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy.
It’s been almost a year since the farmers of the nation are protesting against what they call ‘black laws’ of the union government. Thousands of farmers, largely from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh have camped outside the borders of the national capital Delhi and are unbudged despite extreme circumstances such as heat, rain and storms etc.
The plea was filed by Monica Agarwal, a Noida resident who stated that "andolans (protests) harm the economy, resulting in violence and blocked highways." Her plea asked assurances that the road between Noida and Delhi would remain clear so that passenger movement would not be disrupted.
According to Ms Agarwal’s plea, travelling to Delhi from Noida has "become a nightmare," taking two hours instead of the usual 20 minutes.
In April too, the top court had stated that public roads should not be blocked no matter what. The court, without directly addressing the farmers’ agitation, stated that the "bigger issue" can be resolved in other ways, but that the "ordinary man" must not be inconvenienced.