Farmers’ protest: Barricades at Tikri, Ghazipur borders removed; emergency vehicles to be allowed

The Delhi Police on Thursday started removing barricades put up at the Tikri, Ghazipur borders where thousands of farmers are protesting against the Centre’s three farm laws, news agency ANI reported. Four out of the eight layers of barricades at Tikri border have been removed. However, the cement barricades are still there and the road remains closed for commuters.

“We are doing it after assessing the situation. Tikri border and Ghazipur border can soon be opened from both sides for emergency vehicles. We are doing it after assessing the situation. As of now, we are removing the barricades here,” Delhi Police Commissioner told ANI.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh have been agitating at three Delhi border points — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur — since last November against the three farm laws that they claim will do away with the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations. Over 10 rounds of talks with the government, which has been projecting the laws at major agricultural reforms, have failed to break the deadlock between the two parties. Although the Supreme Court has put the three laws on hold, farmers are adamant about their demand.

Last week, farmers protesting at the Ghazipur border vacated a section of the service road below the flyover to allow the movement of public vehicles. The service lane portion of the road goes from Ghaziabad to Delhi, on which the media centre was built by the farmers. Farmers will now sit only on the upper part of the flyover.

This came after the Supreme Court said that farmers protesting at Delhi borders against the three farms laws have the right to agitate but they cannot block roads indefinitely. The apex court said it was not against the right to protest even when the legal challenge is pending but ultimately some solution has to be found.

News Credit: India TV News