After 13 months of continuous farmers' protest, the Punjab Government cleared the protest site at Shambhu and Khanauri Border. Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that the state was bearing financial losses that were acting as a hindrance to the development. Now, both the borders have been opened. In the meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has raised serious concerns over the repeated forced closures of toll plazas across Punjab.
As per reports, the Centre has written to Punjab Chief Secretary A.V. Sinha on April 4. In the letter, the government outlined that due to repeated toll plazas closure, the Centre suffered a staggering loss of Rs 1,638.85 crore between October 2020 and November 2024.
Umashankar, Secretary of the Ministry, has written a letter outlining that disruptions in toll collection has impacted the construction and maintenance of National Highways by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Not only this, but the ministry is also considering seeking compensation from the Punjab government to cover the financial damage.
Notably, due to the closure of Shambhu and Khanauri border, Industry leaders including the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, Ludhiana’s woolen industry, and Jalandhar’s sports market estimated a loss of approximately Rs 20,000 crore over the past 13 months due to the disruption in trade and supply chains.
What did Punjab Finance Minister Cheema say on the issue?
Responding to the centre’s criticism, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema defended the state's position, stating that the toll plaza shutdowns occurred as part of the farmers' agitation, which was against the Central Government.
“The toll closures were driven by farmers’ protests over issues that fall under the Centre’s jurisdiction. Therefore, the financial burden should also be borne by the Centre, not Punjab,” said Cheema. He reiterated that the Punjab government has always supported dialogue with farmers, but resolving their issues requires policy decisions at the national level.
Loss to Centre due to toll closure in numbers
Centre has highlighted that 24 toll plazas across Punjab remained completely closed from October 17 to November 13, 2024. Operations resumed only after intervention from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
From October 2020 to December 2021, the estimated loss was Rs 1,348.77 crore. From 2022 to 2023, total loss was Rs 41.83 crore. The closures in late 2024 further added Rs 248.25 crore to the overall loss.