Major Traffic Jam at Delhi-Noida Border

On Monday, there was heavy traffic congestion on the roads of Noida due to the march of farmers towards the Parliament complex in Delhi. The Delhi Police and Gautam Buddh Nagar Police had set up barricades at several points on the Noida-Delhi border to prevent the protesters from entering the national capital.

Farmers Marching Towards Delhi

Bhartiya Kisan Parishad leader Sukhbir Khalifa, on Sunday, declared that members of the farmer's organization would start their march from noon on Monday. The march began near Mahamaya Flyover, where farmers and tractors began on foot towards Delhi today, and the marching action continued till night.

Five Key Demands of the Farmers:

The protesting farmers have five major demands. These include:
1. 10% Plot allottment and increase the compensation rate to a hike of 64.7%
2. Compensated at four times of the market rate; in particular 20% plot of this land allotted in that would be taken from any piece of land that had acquired post-January 1st of 2014.
3. Providing employment as well as rehabilitating the children from poor farm families.
4. Implementation of government orders on issues addressed by the High Power Committee.
5. Proper settlement of populated areas affected by land acquisition.

Traffic Restrictions in Place

To manage the anticipated disruption, authorities have restricted the movement of goods vehicles on routes connecting the Yamuna Expressway to Delhi via the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, and from Sirsa to Surajpur via Pari Chowk.

Upcoming Marches by Farmer Groups

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political SKM) announced their plans to go on similar marches to Delhi on 6 December. The protesters, who have been at Shambhu and Khanauri border points from Punjab and Haryana, respectively, since 13 February, were prevented from entering Delhi.

MSP Guarantee and Stalled Talks

Farmers demanding a legal guarantee for MSP tried to march towards Delhi on February 13 and 21. However, the security forces detained them. On February 18, no solution was obtained through a discussion with the panel of Union ministers like Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai. The farmers refused to consider the offer from the government to purchase pulses, maize, and cotton at MSP for five years. They wanted stronger promises.

With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies