Auto drivers, traders to nursing home staff and labourers: For the past week, life for the common people has ground to a halt at Tikri and Singhu, on the Delhi-Haryana border, amid heavy security measures deployed for the farmers’ protest. Both borders have been sealed. Sandwiched between two barriers, was a 1.5-km stretch of no man’s land between Bahadurgarh and Tikri — on one side, the Haryana Police set up a barricade using shipping containers, and on the other side, the Delhi Police propped up multiple layers of barricades, concertina wire, and concrete blocks. Auto drivers, who used to ferry people between Tikri and Bahadurgarh, said they now take them between the barriers. “We earned at least Rs 800 to Rs 900 earlier, but now we earn around half of that,” said Santosh, an auto driver. Desperate to make ends meet, they brought their rates down to woo customers. “I think they prefer the Metro to autos because they won’t have to walk and cross the barriers,” added Santosh. Meanwhile, Metro pillars between Tikri and Bahadurgarh were plastered with posters, put up by the Confederation of Bahadurgarh Industries (COBI), pleading with farmers to reach a consensus with the government and put an end to the blockading. “We suffered during the pandemic and then the 360 days’ of farmers protests (in 2020-21). we had barely recovered from that when they started protesting again,” said Pardeep Koul, General Secretary, COBI. With 26 industrial areas in Jhajjar and approximately 2,500 factories in MIE Parts A & B alone, Koul said most factories, which are mostly micro and small industries, would be put out of business if the border closure continues. “Forget transporting our goods, we can’t even get the transporters to bring us our raw material,” Koul added. On February 14, the organisation held a march from JJ Hospital to Tikri border, appealing to farmers to reach a consensus. Hospitals on either side of the border too have been hit. At CNC Nursing Home, located right behind the Tikri border’s barricades, Dr Deepanshi Aggarwal sat idly in an empty OPD ward. Before the borders closed, she would see at least 40 to 50 patients a day, which has now reduced to half. “Patients complain about having to walk to the clinic and then telling the police why they should be let through,” said Aggarwal, adding that patients often have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to reach the hospital. At JJ Institute of Medical Sciences, located right before the Bahadurgarh barriers, director Deepak Khattar pointed out that ambulance services cannot function with such blockades on the road. The border closures have also hit the hospital’s medicine and oxygen supply. “We are facing only problems right now. It’s a relief that we have an oxygen generator here, otherwise we would have been in trouble,” he added. Khattar also said his hospital has essentially been turned into a ‘police control room’, with them using the building to monitor the border and as a relaxation spot for personnel. Crossing the border on foot Meanwhile, at Singhu, people were forced to cross the heavily barricaded border on foot - some even carrying loads on their heads. Bacchalal (18), who is in the goods transportation business, said, “Commuting has been particularly difficult during the last few days; we import clothes from Balgarh to Delhi every day. now, we have to walk kilometres carrying the bundles on our heads as trucks are being stopped at the border.” Raghurani (65) from Gohana, who was on her way to Ayodhya for a pilgrimage, was seen jumping across the barricades while balancing a pile of clothes on her head. “It is really difficult to do this at my age but I have no other choice since I have to catch a train from New Delhi railway station,” she said. Tempo drivers said they were facing losses due to fewer customers. “Generally, we would earn around Rs 700 to Rs 800 a day. after paying the rent for the vehicle, we would be left with Rs 500… Currently, after paying the rent, we are left with not more than Rs 200,” said tempo drivers Ajit and Jagpal. “We suspect people who have been avoiding travelling across the borders. except those who work in the city. this has affected our earnings,” Anmol, another tempo driver, said. Work at factories in Kundli Industrial Area too has come to a standstill. Subhash, who works at Bharat Motor Transport, said, “Over 250 trucks have been standing idle for the past week as no business is taking place in the area. workers are facing huge losses.” At Alloys and Co, a factory that makes building material, workers said: “Our daily wages are suffering due to the business shutdown but we are expecting it will get back to normal from tomorrow onwards.” Meanwhile, locals were spotted gingerly crossing multiple ditches dug up in the alleys of the industrial area - a bid by police to stop farmers. “It is particularly concerning to cross these ditches at night. they are hardly visible and there is no barricading to ensure people don’t fall into them,” said Savita Bansera, who works as a labourer in the area.
