Farmers' Punjab bandh cripples commuter traffic; rail, bus service suspended

Farmers staged 'dharnas' on several roads as part of their bandh call, throwing commuter traffic out of gear. The bandh will be observed from 7 am to 4 pm.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters in Amritsar that emergency and other essential services would be allowed to operate. He said anyone travelling to the airport to catch a flight anyone going to attend a job interview, or any one needing to attend a wedding, will be allowed.

"All establishments are closed. Punjabis have shown their unity today and they are extending full support," Pandher claimed. "We are seeing a successful bandh. Train services are also completely suspended and no train is entering Punjab," he said.

Grain markets were shut in several places.

Pandher claimed their strike has received strong support from transporters, employee unions, traders bodies, and religious bodies.

In the Mohali district, markets were deserted and hardly any traffic on the roads. Public transport remained off roads at several places, while most private bus operators suspended services abiding by the bandh call

Railways cancelled several trains passing through the state.

The bandh's impact was also seen in some neighbouring areas of the state, including Ambala. Hundreds of daily commuters travelling from Ambala to Chandigarh, Mohali, Patiala and other nearby cities of Punjab were thrown off stride because of the shutdown.

Buses took alternate routes to go from Ambala to Chandigarh as they had to cross a stretch of the national highway that passes through Punjab.

Hundreds of farmers have been protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border demanding a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Dallewal had earlier said he would not break his fast until the government agreed to the farmers' demands.

The apex court has given the Punjab government time till December 31 to persuade Dallewal to shift to a hospital, granting the state the liberty to seek logistical support from the Centre, if necessary.

Besides the MSP, farmers are also demanding a debt waiver, pension, no hike in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases, and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.