New Delhi: Several Traders’ Associations on Friday expressed their woes over the ongoing farmers’ agitation, which is affecting businesses and goods transportation, especially on Delhi-Punjab routes. The reaction of the Traders’ Associations comes amid the ongoing farmers' protest and “Gramin Bharat Bandh” called by farmers against the BJP-led government at the Centre to press for their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce.
Expressing his views to ETV Bharat amid the Bharat Bandh call, Dr Anil Gupta, the president of the Delhi Manufacturers Association, said, “It is obvious that if the inter-state borders remain blocked then it will affect business. In last four days, traffic movement has been limited at several Delhi borders following which transportation of goods and smooth commuting for workers, who live near border areas, has been affected.”
Several road transporters are taking bookings for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu areas because if they book a consignment for these areas, the vehicles are likely to be stranded due to farmers’ protests, Gupta pointed out.
Echoing similar sentiments, a flower trader in Ghazipur market, which is situated near the Delhi-Ghazipur border, Parveen Kumar said, “This protest has hit our business as it is less compared to last week. The reasons are suppliers have to take detours to reach markets as traffic movement is limited at several borders following the delivery of flowers reaching the market late.”
Related to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, Mukesh Dhingra, a member of, the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, said, “We noticed that due to farmers’ protests around 25-30 per cent of business is affected.” Responding to farmers’ agitation and Gramin Bharat Bandh, Suresh Bindal, the president of Chandni Chowk Traders Parishad, said, “This protest is mainly affecting food and agriculture-related trades as daily transportation of vegetables and fruits are getting hampered especially on Delhi, Punjab route.”
Some Farmers' Unions called the Gramin Bharat Bandh and decided to suspend agricultural work from 6 am to 4 pm, as a mark of protest. Union Minister Arjun Munda, late last night after the meeting with the Farmers' Unions in Chandigarh, said a positive discussion took place between the government and Farmers’ Unions. The next meeting will be held on Sunday at 6 pm to find a solution.
This was the third round of talks between both parties. The previous meetings, which were held on February 8 and 12, remained inconclusive. Some Farmers' Groups on Thursday squatted on rail tracks at several locations as part of a ‘rail roko’ (rail blockade) protest, which affected several train services on Punjab-Haryana routes.
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