Haryana Highway Blockade Ends After Farmers Demands Met

Protest had caused huge traffic disruptions!

Chandigarh: Haryana farmers who had blocked a national highway for over 21 hours demanding early procurement of paddy have lifted the blockade after the state government relented.

The protest had caused huge traffic disruptions on National Highway 44 around Kurukshetra.

The state has now said it will start moving all paddy stored in grain markets, though official purchase documents will be processed on October 1 as announced earlier, Gurnam Singh Charuni, whose organisation Bharatiya Kisan Union-Charuni was leading the protests, said. It's their headache now where they are going to store it, he added.

The state has also increased the cap on procurement in five districts that see high yield of the crop -- from 22 to 30 quintals per acre, he said, adding that in several other districts, it has been increased to 28 quintals per acre.

The Haryana government relented soon after being pulled up by a court for failing to anticipate a breakdown of law.

The court told them that the highway must be kept open for free flow and movement of traffic without any hindrance "so that the public at large is not put to inconvenience".