Farmers take out protest marches in Punjab against weekend lockdown
PTI, May 8, 2021, 2:12 PM IST
Chandigarh: Farmers took out protest marches at several places in Punjab on Saturday against the weekend lockdown imposed by the state government amid rising cases of COVID-19 infection and fatalities.
Punjab’s 32 farmer unions, protesting the Central farm laws, had announced to hold street protests against the lockdown in the state and urged shopkeepers to defy the restrictions.
The protests were taken out in Moga, Patiala, Amritsar, Ajnala, among other places in the state.
“We are appealing to shopkeepers to open their shops. We are with them,” said Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan in Moga.
“Lockdown is not a solution to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.”
Khokrikalan also accused the government of doing nothing to improve the health infrastructure.
Farmers, including women, took out marches in the markets and appealed to shopkeepers and traders through loudspeakers to open their shops. However, the shopkeepers kept their shops.
Police personnel in adequate numbers were deployed across the state in the wake of farmers” protest.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday had directed the police chief to strictly enforce the weekend lockdown in the state and deal stringently with any violations in view of the farmer unions deciding to protest the lockdown.
The state government have imposed extensive COIVD-19 curbs in addition to measures like a weekend lockdown and night curfew till May 15.
In Amritsar, a farmer leader said if the state government wanted to impose a weekend lockdown then it should give ration to shopkeepers and waive their electricity bills and other taxes.
A police team took out a flag march in a market in Ajnala with officials saying nobody will be allowed to violate the curbs.
Notably, early this week, traders and shopkeepers in Punjab had held protests against the state government’s order of closure of shops dealing in non-essential items.
The chief minister on Friday had authorized the deputy commissioners to take any decision on opening of non-essential shops or private officers on rotation, after taking the local MLAs and other stakeholders into confidence.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Ammonia gas leak triggers panic in Coimbatore
SC questions ED on timing of Kejriwal’s arrest, seeks its reply
We don’t send dossiers on terror; ‘Bharat ghar mein ghus ke marta hai’: PM Modi
SC appreciates ‘marked improvement’ in public apology by Ramdev, Balkrishna, Patanjali
Soaring mercury in Kerala: Orange alert for Palakkad District
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
BWF World Junior Championships: India to host next edition in Guwahati
Revanna case: BJP launches counter-attack on Congress, questions delayed action by Karnataka govt
‘Real observations’ of galaxies support existence of invisible dark matter: Study
Newly built Dr Ramdas M Pai Block inaugurated at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal
Ammonia gas leak triggers panic in Coimbatore