As their agitation completed seven months, farmer leaders on Saturday stuck to their demands, saying they will call off their protest if the government repeals the three farm laws even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar appealed to them to end their stir and offered to resume talks.
Despite the administration's orders to vacate the protest site, farmers refused to budge with Bhartiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait declaring that he was ready to face any consequences.
The Ghaziabad administration has reportedly served an ultimatum to protesting farmers to vacate the Ghazipur protest site. According to sources, the district administration may move ahead to remove blockade at UP Gate on Delhi-Meerut Expressway by Thursday night. A heavy police deployment has been made at Ghazipur and Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey along with other top police officials have reached the protest site.
Group of people claiming to be locals gather at Singhu border demanding that the area be vacated. Farmers have been camping at the site as part of their protest against Farm Laws.
According to a MeT Department official, heavy rainfall was reported in areas across Delhi and minimum temperatures have increased due to clouding and easterly winds.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
According to the police, a group of six students, including girls, had arrived at the spot to render support to the farmers by singing and playing 'dafli' (tambourine). However, the police sent the students back after the farmer leaders objected to their presence there.
On Saturday, farmer leaders said they are ready to hold talks with the government, but will first discuss repealing the three new farm laws. They also announced that representatives of their unions would sit on a hunger strike during a nationwide protest on December 14.
Earlier on Wednesday, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar expressed hope that ongoing deliberations with farmers, which he termed a "work in progress", over the three agriculture-related laws will yield some results soon.
The Delhi Police has increased security arrangements at the city’s border points following the announcement by agitating farmers to block the Jaipur-Delhi and the Delhi-Agra Expressways on Saturday to further intensify their protest.
At least five rounds of formal talks have taken place between the Centre and representatives of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, protesting on various borders of the national capital for about two weeks.
The Northern Railways has said some trains will be short terminated, short originated or will be diverted as the farmers' protest against farm bills continues in Punjab.
The central government is in touch with states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and sensitising them against any possible protest by farmers.
Former MP from Mandsaur Meenakshi Natarajan was detained while she was on her way to meet the families of the deceased farmers
Noida, May 17 : Major real estate players like Amrapali, Unitech, Mahagun and Supertech have already got the shivers as the Allahabad High Court last week struck down land acquisition by the UP government, which
Greater Noida/Agra, May 10: The situation was today tense but under control in parts of western UP hit by farmers' unrest over land acquisition as police released sketches of 24 trouble-makers who incited violence in
Top News
Latest News
