Punjab bandh update: Blockade on Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway as farmers continue protests across state

Farmers' protests across the state affected traffic on key routes in Punjab, including the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway, on Monday. The statewide shutdown will remain in effect from 7 am to 4 pm on December 30 and 31.

Emergency services will remain unaffected by the Punjab Bandh, as protestors have been instructed not to hinder medical services or obstruct people travelling to the airport for flights or tasks such as job interviews, said farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Sunday.

“The bandh will be observed from 7 am to 4 pm. However, emergency services will remain operational. Anyone travelling to the airport to catch a flight or anyone going to attend a job interview, or anyone needs to attend a wedding... all these things have been kept out of our bandh call,” PTI quoted Singh.

Punjab Bandh: Areas where traffic has been affected

Due to the Punjab Bandh, traffic will likely be disrupted in Amritsar, Chandigarh, and other cities. Protests impacted traffic on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway, with demonstrators staging a sit-in protest at the Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza.

The call for the shutdown was issued last week by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha in response to the Centre's failure to address the demands of protesting farmers.

At Amritsar's Golden Gate, farmers began assembling near the city's entry point, while in Bathinda's Rampura Phul, they blocked roads.

Why are farmers protesting in Punjab?

Farmers continue to protest for their long-pending demand for a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for crops. This issue has been the focus of their protests for several years. Hundreds of farmers have gathered at the Punjab-Haryana border, demanding a legal guarantee of MSP for crops.

One of the protestors, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, has been on a hunger strike for the past month, demanding a legal guarantee of MSP. The 70-year-old has so far refused medical treatment and previously stated that he would not break his fast until the government agrees to the farmers' demands.

Apex Court's intervention

The Supreme Court has given the Punjab government until December 31 to persuade Dallewal to move to a hospital. The government has also been granted the liberty to seek logistical support from the Centre if needed.

Farmers, under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after security forces blocked their march to Delhi.

In addition to MSP, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pensions, no increase in electricity tariffs, and justice for the protestors who lost their lives in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.