Locals affected, border testing hit as law enforcement block farmers

New Delhi/Noida/Ghaziabad: There was chaos at Delhi Haryana's Singhu border on Thursday as the state police sealed the roads creating confusion for people travelling to and from Haryana and Delhi. The situation in areas bordering Uttar Pradesh was also similar with many office goers facing troubles and the random COVID-19 testing at borders seriously affected.

The border area saw heavy deployment with BSF and RAF on alert. Water cannon trucks were also deployed at the spot. On November 26, farmers from Punjab and Haryana planned to march towards Delhi against the new bill passed by the Centre government.

The call for strike forced the governments to call for a strict deployment due to which local people travelling for personal and professional work bore the brunt.

Savita's mother died in Delhi but instead of attending her funeral, she was stuck at the Delhi border. "We have been here for four hours and still have no idea how much time it is going to take," Savita's husband told Millennium Post.

The continuous questioning from the police personnel was no solace. "We have been asking the police to open the barricades for a little while, but to no accord," Rajesh, a worker in Delhi said.

Many people decided to walk towards the border and find a suitable mode of transportation. "We have de-boarded the bus for we do not know how much time it is going to take, which is why we have decided to walk," Rajesh said.

Ambulances and sick patients also had to suffer due to the strict security, which many said was unnecessary as the farmers were stuck in Karnal. "My wife is not well, I was taking her to a doctor in Delhi, but we have been stuck here for the past two hours. I have no option but to leave," Vishal said.

Over 20 check posts have been formed at Kaushambi and UP Gate in Ghaziabad while similar arrangements were made at DND and the Chilla border in Noida to stop farmers from entering the Capital.

Gyanendra Singh, Superintendent of police (City-2), Ghaziabad said that police have sealed the border and movement of a group of people was not allowed near the border area on Thursday. "We have also formed a Rapid action force as a precautionary measure and all the vehicles were properly checked. All over, the situation remained under control throughout" the SP added.