Mohali: Farmers Tuesday made toll plazas free for commuters at several locations across Punjab, including Mamupur and Animpur in Mohali district, as part of a statewide protest against the Punjab govt’s land pooling policy and the proposed India-US trade agreement.The action was taken on a call given by BKU (Ekta) Sidhupur and BKU (Ekta) Dallewal, which had announced a coordinated agitation across the state.At the Mamupur toll plaza on the Kharar-Morinda road, farmers began assembling around 10 am and allowed vehicles to pass without paying toll charges. As per the unions’ programme, toll plazas were to remain toll-free from 11am to 4 pm. Police personnel remained deployed at the site to regulate traffic and maintain law and order.A similar protest was held at the Animpur toll plaza on the Banur-Mirpur highway, where farmers opened the toll barriers for commuters from 11am onwards.Addressing protesters at Mamupur, farmer leader Gian Singh Dhadak and BKU block president Surmukh Singh Chhajju Majra alleged that the proposed India-US trade agreement would hurt Indian agriculture and the rural economy. They claimed that allowing greater access to foreign agricultural products could depress prices of farm produce and worsen the agrarian crisis.The leaders said the agitation was being held on the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and urged the Centre to roll back what they described as anti-farmer policies. They warned that the protest would be intensified if farmers’ concerns remained unaddressed.At Animpur, the dharna was led by state leaders Man Singh Rajpura, Tarlochan Singh Nandiali, Gurmeet Singh Siau and other union representatives, who also raised slogans against the Punjab govt and reiterated their demands.Similar demonstrations were organised at toll plazas across Punjab. In Patiala district, BKU (Ekta) Dallewal workers made the Dharedi Jattan toll plaza on the Patiala-Rajpura road toll-free for several hours.Leading the protest there, district convener Jagdeep Singh Aluna criticised the Punjab govt’s policies, particularly the land pooling scheme. Farmer organisations demanded withdrawal of the policy, action over alleged irregularities in Land Mortgage Banks and Primary Agricultural Development Banks (PADBs), and a one-time settlement scheme to help indebted farmers repay loans.The unions also reiterated their opposition to the proposed India-US trade agreement, terming it anti-farmer. They said the agitation would continue until both the Centre and the Punjab government addressed their concerns.
