The Army on Monday took control of the Munak canal in Sonipat district of Haryana and efforts were being made to restore the water supply to the national capital.
Police sources said that traffic was restored on the busy NH-1 between Delhi and Ambala after security forces removed Jat protesters at some places while protesters left the blockade points on their own this morning. Curfew was relaxed at various places even as Haryana crawled towards normalcy.
Police sources said that Jat protesters continued to block roads and railway tracks at some places. Efforts were being made to remove them and restore traffic. Traffic was being restored on other highways in the violence-hit districts of Rohtak, Sonipat, Panipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Jind, Kaithal and Hisar.
Curfew in Rohtak town was relaxed for one hour on Monday. Curfew was lifted in Hisar and Hansi towns on Monday. Army personnel and para-military forces, along with the state police and district authorities, continued to patrol and provide security along the NH-1 and other roads.
According to sources, thousands of people and vehicles were stranded on NH-1 as the protesters laid siege to the highway in Sonipat and Panipat districts in the past three days, cutting off road connectivity to Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh through the highway.
Railway officials said that restoration of train traffic on the Delhi-Ambala and Delhi-Bathinda sections could take some more time as the tracks will have to be repaired and inspected thoroughly before plying of trains is allowed. Nearly 900 trains were cancelled by railway authorities in the region due to the Jat agitation.
With the BJP promising to give reservation to Jats and assuring that a bill will be brought in the next session of the Haryana Assembly, Jat leaders had appealed to the protesters to end the agitation. The eight-day old Jat agitation has left 11 people dead and over 150 injured, said Haryana Additional Chief Secretary – Home P.K. Dass.