Farmers from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and other states have started to gather in Delhi. (Photo/ANI)
Traffic in some parts of Delhi was affected on Thursday as thousands of farmers from across the country converged in the national capital to hold protest march over various issues concerning them. Farmers have planned a two-day protest in Delhi for press for their demands including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.
Delhi Traffic Police tweeted to alert commuters about slow traffic due to farmers' march. "Traffic towards Dwarka Link Road from Bijwasan village has been affected due to Kisan rally. Avoid the stretch," the tweet said. Traffic has also been hit on NH8 connecting Delhi with Gurugram, the traffiic police said.
Farmers, from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states, will march on four different routes in the national capital, starting at three major railway stations — Anand Vihar, Nizamuddin and Bijwasan — and at Sabzi Mandi, their leaders said.
All the marchers will pour in at Ramlila Ground in the heart of the city by today evening.
The two-day rally will be "one of the largest congregations of farmers" in Delhi, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) has claimed.
The AIKSCC, which claims to be an umbrella body of 207 organisations of farmers and agricultural workers, said a cultural programme would be held at Ramlila Ground on Thursday, the first day of the protest, where prominent singers and poets from rural India would perform.
(With inputs from PTI)
