Haryana authorities closed the Dera Bassi-Ambala border near Jharmari barrier, causing commuters to take longer alternative routes. In order to reach Delhi, a few commuters chose to take a different route from Bhankharpur to Mubarikpur via Ramgarh Road, Yamunanagar.
With the Haryana government partially blocking the Ambala-Chandigarh national highway (NH)-152 in wake of the farmers’ proposed ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on February 13, commuters headed to the Capital were a hassled lot on Sunday as traffic on the Zirakpur-Ambala highway moved at snail’s pace.
Haryana authorities closed the Dera Bassi-Ambala border near Jharmari barrier, causing commuters to take longer alternative routes. A few commuters took diversions from Bhankharpur to Mubarikpur via Ramgarh road, Yamunanagar, to reach Delhi.
Traffic was also significantly affected near Dera Bassi, Handesra, Lalru, and Landran-Banur road.
Around 1,000 farmers from Mohali are expected to march towards Delhi on their tractors and other heavy vehicles, according to the police.
Mohali police, holding special meetings with farmers, have requested their leaders to maintain law and order while marching towards Delhi.
According to sources, farmers from Mohali are expected to gather at Banur from where they will join the procession near the Haryana-Punjab border at Shambhu where the Ambala authorities have installed three layers of concrete jersey barriers on the overbridge over the river to thwart protesters headed to Delhi.
It is expected that farmers from Dera Bassi and Zirakpur will enter Haryana via the Jharmari barrier, which has also been blocked from the Ambala side.
“We have not blocked any routes for farmers in Mohali but our Haryana counterparts have barricaded the borders leading to Delhi Punjab highway. We will keep an eye on the law-and-order situation here,” said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.
Aman Sahota, a resident of Phase-7, Mohali, said he had to reach Delhi for an urgent meeting but cancelled his plans at the last moment to avoid the traffic on Chandigarh-Ambala highway.
Flight fares to Delhi shoot up
Delhi travelers by air were also left dejected as all flights to the capital were already booked and no new bookings were accepted on Sunday. Besides, the flight fares had also shot up amid increased demand.
From Chandigarh, there are seven daily flights to Delhi.
Deepali Sharma, a resident of Delhi, said that she came to Mohali on Friday to visit her sick uncle. “Since I have to go to office on Monday, I was hoping to reach home by Sunday afternoon. But as cab drivers refused to travel to Delhi, I looked up the air fares. The rates were as high as 12,000 to 13,000 compared to the usual fare of 4,000, she said.
Manish Mehta, a senior officer of Indigo airlines at Chandigarh airport, said, ‘We have four flights from Chandigarh to Delhi, the last departure being at 6:45 pm.’ I am not aware about any troubles in booking air tickets.”
The protesting farmers are demanding appropriate compensation for the flood-affected victims.
