Major cities of Punjab- Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and Amritsar have been witnessing heavy traffic jams due to the ongoing farmers' protest. Hundreds of farmers on Tuesday sat on dharna at the Jalandhar-Ludhiana National Highway which is a major connecting point of multiple cities. As a result, the Police had to close the highway by using barricades. Although the Police kept the service lane open to let the vehicles pass, agitating farmers then sat on the service lane as well. It forced the Punjab Police to divert the routes so that people could go to Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and more.
Jalandhar Rural Police in their diverted routes announcement informed-
For Amritsar- Adampur to Kishangarh to Kartarpur to Amritsar
For Chandigarh- Kishangarh to Adampur to Hoshiarpur to Garhshankar to Chandigarh
For Ludhiana- Kishangarh to Adampur to Mehtiana to Phagwara to Ludhiana
For Amritsar- Phillaur to Nurmahal to Nakodar to Amritsar
For Pathankot- Phillaur to Rahon to Nawa Sehar to Garhshankar to Hoshiarpur to Pathankot
Protesting farmers threaten to block railways
The farmers union has warned the Punjab Government and the District Administration that if any representative will not meet with them and agree with their demands they will stop trains as well. It means, the farmers' protest can be stretched and people may face more difficulties in the upcoming times. It is worth mentioning that farmers had a meeting with a government representative on Tuesday night. However, no parties reached any conclusion. As per farmers, the person who had a meeting with them did not possess much power.
The demand for higher sugarcane tariffs is at the heart of this protest, as farmers say the increase is necessary to preserve their livelihoods and the economic viability of agriculture as a profession. Apart from the sugarcane price hike, farmers are also demanding to roll back the legal cases registered against farmers over stubble burning.