The Delhi Police have started removing barricades from the Ghazipur border today from the farmers’ protest site where they have been protesting against the agricultural laws for the past 11 months.
In the wake of the January 26 violence during the farmers’ protest, the Delhi police had put up multi-layered blockades at the protest sites including setting of iron and cement barricades and concertina wires. Police officials and labourers have also removed iron nails that were studded on the NH9 at Ghazipur.
The Supreme Court last week had said that while it was not against the farmers’ right to protest but asserted that protestors can’t block roads indefinitely. The apex court made this statement while hearing a plea by a Noida resident, Monicca Agarwaal, who had highlighted the problems being faced by commuters in the wake of the ongoing farmers’ protest, and had sought their removal from the Delhi border.
The barricades were also removed from the Tikri border yesterday. Tikri border connects Delhi with the neighbouring state of Haryana whereas Ghazipur border connects the national capital with Uttar Pradesh.
“They got orders from the seniors and the barricades are being removed. The road is being opened for traffic again. They must have spoken with the farmers and are removing it after assessing the situation,” a senior police official was quoted.
Read More: Farmers protests: 3 women dead, 2 injured as truck rams into divider at Tikri
Delhi Commissioner of Police, East District, Priyank Kashyap reportedly said that they were removing the barricades from Ghazipur and traffic movement would start in the coming days.
The vehicular movement towards New Delhi from Ghaziabad has been blocked on all the roads on the Delhi-Meerut expressway as well as National Highway 24. The roads for the movement of vehicles towards Ghaziabad from Delhi are open on the expressway, but closed on NH-24.
Thousands of farmers from the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at Delhi’s border since the last week of November. They had set up temporary tents, and parked their tractor trolleys on these carriageways. They have been demanding to repeal the agricultural laws as they claim that the new regulations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) system.
