Farmers' protest: Key Delhi borders stay closed; traffic diverted
What's the story
The Singhu and Tikri borders of Delhi continue to remain completely blocked in the wake of the ongoing Farmers' protest against the three new farm laws passed by the central government last year. The Chilla border is completely open, while the Ghazipur border is partially open for traffic movement. The Delhi Traffic Police has issued advisory for motorists. Here are more details on this.
Details
Delhi Traffic Police advises alternative routes
Motorists traveling from Uttar Pradesh toward Delhi cannot cross the Ghazipur border and hence the Delhi Traffic Police has advised them to take alternative routes which pass through Anand Vihar, DND, Loni, and Apsara borders. Commuters may also use the Chilla border which was opened in January after being blocked by the protesting farmers for several weeks.
Details
Alternative routes for traveling between Delhi, Haryana
Further, the entry and exit points between Delhi and Haryana, passing through Singhu, Tikri, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli, and Mangesh borders, continue to remain shut. The Traffic Police has advised motorists to travel through alternative routes like Lampur, Safiabad, Palla, and Singhu School Toll Tax borders. Motorists may choose to travel through longer routes via the Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Faridabad borders.
Protest
What is the farmers' protest all about?
Thousands of farmers have been camping at several borders of the National Capital to protest against the three agricultural laws. The controversial laws are - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Demands
What are the demands of the protesting farmers?
The protesting farmers claim that the laws will deprive them of the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) and make them vulnerable to big corporates. They are demanding a complete rollback of the contentious laws and numerous rounds of discussions between them and the government have failed to end the deadlock. The government, however, says the laws are meant to enhance the farmers' earnings.