The heat along the Punjab-Haryana borders, almost 220 km away from the national capital, is resulting in traffic jams, leading to inconvenience to commuters in Delhi and NCR. Amid the call for Delhi Chalo by farm leaders, the already heightened security by Delhi Police has taken a step forward, including digging up some link roads passing through the villages nearby.
Not only Delhi Police but also police forces in Gurgaon and Ghaziabad have taken extensive measures, including multiple layers of barricades, concertina wire, and concrete blocks, to control vehicular movement. This resulted in traffic disruptions at locations like Rajokri, Sarhol borders, Delhi-Gurgaon Highway (NH-48), and Delhi-Bahadurgarh Highway during peak office hours. The impact is extending to areas such as ITO, Dhaula Kuan, Rajokri, Ashram, Mathura Road, and Delhi’s border entry and exit points.
Simultaneously, Delhi Police heightened security citywide and at the borders. Tikri and Singhu were sealed, and the service lane of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway Ghazipur was closed on both sides. The Singhu border saw a substantial fortification with five layers of metal barricades, barbed wires, two layers of cement barricades, trucks, and eight portable cabins blocking roads. Security personnel equipped with teargas shells were present to prevent any breach of the barricades. An RAF officer stated that even if farmers attempted to break through, tear gas would be used to ensure they didn’t enter Singhu premises. The security measures surpassed those during the 2020 protests. However, in an advisory, the traffic police asked commuters to use the border transit points at Loni, Auchandi, Jonti, Piyau Maniyari, and Safiabad to exit Delhi.
The Tikri border has witnessed a massive deployment of police and Rapid Action Force troops, along with barriers, barbed wires, and CCTV installations, in the preceding week. The sealing of the border has resulted in overcrowding at the Bahadurgarh city metro station on the green line of Delhi Metro. Daily commuters, who earlier used to take autos for commuting to the nearby areas, including workers working in several factories on Rohtak Road near the Tikri border, are shifting to Delhi Metro for commuting to their jobs. This has resulted in the overcrowding of Metro operating on the Green Line, resulting in long lines at the border stations during office hours. Earlier, various modes of public as well as private transport were available, including DTC buses and Haryana Roadways buses; however, both services have been suspended, resulting in an extra load at Delhi Metro.
DCP (Outer) Jimmy Chiram emphasised in a statement that there was ample force deployment, including paramilitary personnel, at the Delhi-Haryana borders. The objective was not to disrupt traffic but to ensure safety, security, and law and order, with teams checking all vehicles to prevent farmers from entering the national capital.With the level of security arrangements, the police have made elaborate arrangements to stop the farmers from entering Delhi. However, the protesting farmers have halted their Dilli Chalo march for two days following the death of a farmer on Wednesday. Sarwan Singh Pandher stated earlier that the next course of action will be decided upon assessing the situation. Meanwhile, the centre has expressed willingness to continue talks with the protest leaders after four rounds of discussions failed to bring any positive outcome.