Traffic affected as Delhi’s border areas heavily barricaded due to farmers’ protest

PTI, Feb 14, 2024, 11:24 AM IST

Traffic was affected in the border areas of Delhi on Wednesday as police erected several layers of barricades and stopped the movement of vehicles at the Singhu and Tikri borders in view of farmers’ proposed march to Delhi.

While Singhu and Tikri borders with Haryana have been entirely closed for traffic, vehicular movement is still allowed at the Ghazipur border in a regulated manner.

A section of a road in a village near the Singhu border was dug up to prevent the farmers’ march to Delhi.

Apsara and Ghazipur borders with Uttar Pradesh are open for traffic but there is a heavy security deployment at both.

Ankit Singh, who was travelling from Shahdara to Noida Sector-62, said the traffic movement was slightly affected at the Ghazipur border.

“I thought that the traffic might be closed and was planning to take an alternative route to reach my office. Vehicular movement was slightly affected at that border. Heavy security was deployed there,” Singh said.

Police have put up barricades and placed concrete slabs on the road to prevent the protesting farmers from entering Delhi.

People had to cross the Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana on foot on Tuesday as police blocked the movement of vehicles in view of a farmers’ march towards the national capital.

Hem Singh, who lives in Haryana’s Karnal, said he was going to northeast Delhi to attend a wedding but his bus had to halt nearly a kilometre from the border.

“My nephew is getting married in northeast Delhi’s Gokulpuri on Wednesday and we are stuck here due to traffic. The bus driver stopped the vehicle a kilometre before the border. We are walking towards Delhi and are not sure whether we will get any vehicle.

“We were aware of the farmers’ march, but had no idea that we would get stuck here. I asked my wife and daughter to go back to Panipat, but my daughter is very excited to attend her cousin’s wedding,” he said.

Farmers demanding a law on minimum support price are marching towards Delhi after a meeting with a team of Union ministers over their demands remained inconclusive.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha said the farmers will head to Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands.