Shambhu border blockade: Haryana may wait for outcome of farmer outfits’ July 16 meet

The latest development is seen as a setback to the state government which was in the process of filing an appeal against the high court’s July 10 order. However, now with the judiciary conveying a strong message to the state, the authorities of the state are not in a mood to take a call in a haste. “We will wait for the outcome of the meeting of the farmer leaders which is scheduled on July 14 before moving further on this issue,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express. The officer said that as of now no talks have been held with the farmer leaders and such an exercise would be considered only after their meeting on July 16. A senior administrative officer also said: “We will take a call in the next 2-3 days. Before that we will examine the orders of the SC and the High Court too.”

The police officer who spoke to the Indian Express said that the removal of the barricades at the Shambhu border is not a big issue if the state government takes a call for the same. “The National Highways Authority of India has the machines which will be able to remove these concrete barricades within six hours. This way, the highway can be opened within a day long exercise. No investment is also involved in this exercise,” added the officer.

The police officer said that if an amicable solution is found then it would be a huge relief to the people of the area and the district administration too. According to the officer, normally nearly 350 security personnels including from the state police and the paramilitary forces are deployed at both sides of Sambhu border.

The border between the two states has been closed for public transport since February when the Haryana government installed barricades to prevent protesting Punjab farmers from making their way to Delhi as part of their ‘Dilli Chalo’ agitation. Members of farmer unions under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) have been sitting at the borders since February 13. Both farmers bodies would be holding a meeting on July 14 to decide their future course of action. They have been demanding a law to fix a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and concessions, including the waiving of farm loans.

Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of KMM, on Friday said that they would continue their stir till their demands are met. He also said that the “decisions and the observations of the judiciary have come too late”.

Earlier, in an affidavit to the High Court, the Haryana government had stated: “In view of the security of the local area, the barricading can only be removed if the farmers shift their dharna from the national highway and remove their tractor-trolley from the national highway.”

Meanwhile, the farmers have planned to gherao the office of the Superintendent of Police of Ambala on July 17, seeking the release of farmer union leader Navdeep Singh Jalbera, who has been behind bars since March 28.