441 days on, farmers to lift 108 pakka dharnas in Punjab today

Initially on October 1, dharnas had started at more than 200 places but later, they continued at only 108 sites. While some were lifted from in front of houses of petrol pumps dealers of Punjab, others were lifted from outside the houses of a few BJP leaders.

Presently, dharnas are on at nearly 30 company-owned petrol pumps, all toll plazas in Punjab, outside nearly eight BJP leaders’ houses, at dry port of Kila Raipur, in the parking lots of over 30 railway stations, shopping malls and few other locations.

In all, BKU Ugrahan has organised dharna at 39 places in Punjab while at the rest of the dharnas have been organised by 32 farmer unions of Punjab and Kisan Mazdoor Sangrash Committee (KMSC).

Saudagar Singh Ghudani, president of BKU Ugrahan in Ludhiana, said, “We have learnt that toll plaza managements have hiked the prices of tolls. And as the dharnas will be lifted on Wednesday, the toll plazas will start again. However, we warn the National Highway Authority of India to not increase the prices or we will start dharnas at the tolls gates again. The people should not be harassed anymore.”
According to sources, Ladhowal toll plaza, located on the outskirts of Ludhiana, had the highest daily collection. And its daily collection before the dharnas last year was around Rs 75 lakh per day.

At Barnala railway station parking, the protest will be lifted after 441 days and so will be at Jagraon railway station parking. Kanwaljeet Khanna, a member of BKU Dakaunda and in-charge of the Jagraon dharna, said, “Many of our members never missed the dharna even for a single day and now they will be returning home. However, soon after lifting the dharnas, The Punjab CM will hold two meetings with farmer unions – one on December 16 with BKU Ugrahan and another on December 17 with 32 farmer unions of Punjab.”