Farmers Appeal to Police to Open Delhi Border Roads in Face of Covid-Crisis

Marking the completion of 150 days of protest, farmers on April 25, 2021 sent a formal request via e-mail to police officials to open roads so that oxygen, ambulance and other essential services can efficiently travel towards the city.

Eager to avoid any problems for citizens, farmer leaders Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh Charuni, Hannan Mollah, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Joginder Singh Ugrahan said in a press release that members had already opened and cleaned one side of the road.

“The Sonepat police is requested to remove barricades from the petrol pump side of Delhi's Singhu Border so that all the essential services can move smoothly towards Delhi,” said farmer leaders in the letter addressed to the Superintendent of Police.

The letter mentioned that during an earlier meeting, the officials promised to coordinate with Delhi police to open the other side of the road. Yet farmers said that the administration has not held up their part of the agreement.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) volunteers at Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri, Shahjahanpur borders have begun services as ‘Covid warriors.’ Specifically, at the Tikri border, camps have been set up for vaccination and other essential services. A team led by Dr Sawaiman Singh is reaching out to the farmers and urging them to take necessary precautions regarding coronavirus. Masks and other items were distributed on Sunday at the Kajaria Tiles office near the Singhu border. Farmers are utilising these services and taking proper care of their health, said Mollah.

Meanwhile, the SKM condemned the objectionable statement by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath saying that there is no shortage of oxygen and people saying otherwise will face action.

“When the government has de-stabilised the system and machinery through privatisation and citizens are dying on streets and in/near hospitals, the government's attempt to suppress the voice of the people in holding up the reality is condemned,” said Dallewal.

Similarly, farmers said that they will not vacate protest sites until the central government accepts their demands regarding the repeal of the three farm laws, legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP) and other remunerative prices for crops.

Courtesy: Sabrang India