Mon Dec 30 23:55:42 UTC 2024: ## Punjab Bandh Disrupts Traffic Amid Farmers’ Protest
**Chandigarh, [Date]** – A Punjab-wide bandh called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha caused significant traffic disruptions on Monday. The six-hour shutdown, from 7 am to 4 pm, saw farmers blocking roads across the state to protest the central government’s inaction on their demands.
The bandh impacted commuters on major highways, including the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway, where a sit-in at the Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza caused significant delays. Similar blockades occurred in Amritsar and Bathinda. While the bandh was largely successful, organizers stated that emergency services were permitted to operate, along with those traveling for essential purposes such as flights, job interviews, and weddings.
The protests are part of a larger movement demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for crops, debt waivers, pensions, a halt to electricity tariff hikes, the withdrawal of police cases, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Adding to the intensity, 70-year-old farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal continues a hunger strike, now in its 35th day, refusing medical treatment until the government addresses their demands. The Supreme Court has given the Punjab government until December 31st to persuade him to seek medical care.
Farmers have been staging protests at the Punjab-Haryana border since February 13th, following attempts to march to Delhi that were thwarted by security forces. The ongoing demonstrations highlight the farmers’ determination to secure their demands from the central government.
First Piper 