Noida (UP), Dec 8: The ”Bharat Bandh” called on Tuesday by farmers protesting against the Centre’s new agri laws had little impact on trade and business activities in Noida, as the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration deployed heavy security and pressed drones into service to keep an eye on the situation.
Scores of farmers, however, continued their protest against the three farm laws at the Noida-Delhi border.
Farmers from various western Uttar Pradesh districts and those affiliated to the Lok Shakti and Bhanu factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) have been camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal and the Chilla border, respectively, since December 1.
“We are sitting here and will not budge until our demands are met and we are allowed to go to Delhi,” Rajeev Nagar, BKU Bhanu”s Gautam Buddh Nagar unit president, told PTI.
The protestors here want to proceed to the national capital to join the main stir driven chiefly by farmers from Punjab and Haryana, who had also called for a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday to press for a repeal of the three contentious laws.
But, the ”Bharat Bandh” call appeared to have little impact on trade and routine businesses in Noida and Greater Noida, according to market representatives and police officials.
The Sector 18 market in Noida generally remains closed on Tuesdays, but the shops that open nonetheless did open this Tuesday as well, while the adjacent Atta Market is also on. Similar situation prevailed in Greater Noida and elsewhere in the district.
“So far, there has been no input from anywhere in the district about any trader or market facing any difficulty due to the ”bandh”,” said Sushil Kumar Jain, the NCR unit Convenor of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT.
In view of the bandh call, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police carried out flag marches in various parts of the district amid deployment of a large number of personnel including those from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), according to officials.
“Drones have also been deployed to monitor the situation in view of the bandh call. The law and order situation is normal and traffic movement is also normal,” District Information Officer Rakesh Chauhan said in a statement.
However, BKU Bhanu”s Rajeev Nagar, who is staging a sit-in along with scores of protestors at the Chilla border, claimed the bandh has received a good response from the people and it has been successful.
“Some people are saying the bandh call is not successful but they should know this call was made by farmers and not by some political outfit that generally witness aggression and violence. Our movement is peaceful and we have got enough people who support farmers,” he told PTI. PTI KIS TIR TIR
