Farmers overpower staff at toll plazas on Chandigarh-Delhi highway, allow free movement of vehicles
Intensifying their protest against the Centre’s farm laws, protesters have taken over the toll plazas at Karnal and Panipat on NH-44 in Haryana for 24 hours since Friday midnight
chandigarh Updated: Dec 12, 2020, 09:44 IST
Farmers overpowered staff at the toll plazas at Karnal and Panipat on the Delhi-Chandigarh National Highway 44, allowing toll- free movement of all vehicles from Friday midnight.
The call to make all toll plazas free for a day was given by the farmer unions to intensify their agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws as repeated talks with the government remained inconclusive.
“Exactly at midnight, protesters reached the toll plazas and asked officials to allow the movement of all vehicles without charging any toll. They removed the barricades,” said an official at the Karnal toll plaza, requesting anonymity. The toll officials were not ready to speak over the development on record.
Also read: Farmers Protest Live Updates: 3,500 police personnel to be deployed at 5 Delhi-Haryana toll plazas
The protesters said that they will stay at the toll plaza for the next 24 hours to ensure the free movement of all vehicles.
“We have made toll plazas free for all commuters from midnight and will leave after 24 hours,” said their leader, Sewa Singh Arya.
Police deployed at the toll plaza could not stop the protesters. Karnal SP Ganga Ram Punia said police has been deployed at the toll plazas to ensure people do not disturb the law and order.
“We will ensure that nobody violates the prohibitory orders in place and the deployment is being increased,” Punia said.
On Saturday morning, when the farmers left briefly, the toll officials started charging toll, but the farmers returned after half an hour and again forced toll officials to allow vehicles to pass without paying.
On Thursday, the Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president, Gurnam Singh Charuni, said that during meetings with the Union government they have made it clear that their agitation will continue till the three laws are revoked.
“We have now decided that all farmers will port their (Jio) mobile phone numbers to other service providers and on December 12 all toll plazas will be made free for all for one day. On December 14, the agitation will be intensified by holding protests at all district headquarters,” he said.
