Farmers' protest: Traders, shopkeepers at Singhu brace for tough times

New Delhi: More than two years after a massive agitation by farmers resulted in heavy losses for them, traders and shopkeepers at Delhi's Singhu border are again looking at tough times with a fresh round of protest threatening their businesses.

It is the 'Delhi Chalo' march by farmers from Punjab this time and it began on Tuesday with thousands moving in trucks, tractor-trolleys and on foot.

Though the march is currently contained at the Punjab-Haryana border, the fortifications of multiple layers of barricades and concrete blocks at Singhu, along with a huge deployment of police personnel, to stop them from entering the city have also restricted the cross-border movement of people.

With various restrictions in place, including for traffic, even locals are having a hard time commuting and shops are closing as early as 2 pm. "Our staff cannot reach work. We are closed for the past two days and this is resulting in a loss of Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 a day," said Nikesh, the manager of shopping complex 'Cost to Cost'.

The rent of the building, "we operate in, comes to around Rs 20,000 a day", he claimed and asked, "Who will compensate for our losses? The government or the farmers?" Only a handful of smaller shops are operating in the local market, but these too are facing losses due to less customers and early closure.

"My shops are running at 95 per cent loss since the restrictions. Our customers are from Singhu as well as areas in Haryana," said Karan, who has three shops in the area and one is that of garments "When the farmers' protest happened last time, we had to shut down three shops completely for a year. There are no customers here. Don't know what will happen this time," he said.

The 2020 agitation of farmers against the now-repealed three farm laws had stretched to over a year and they camped at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders. Protesters had also entered Delhi, leading to clashes with police. Some also entered the Red Fort and climbed its ramparts.

Kapil, owner of a wholesale and retail shop at the Singhu border, said, "We asked our executives not to come to work on Wednesday and Thursday. There are seven helpers here. We are facing losses and shutting shop by afternoon." "My store was shut during the previous protest too. There was also the Covid-induced lockdown. Now, we have this protest," he said.

Recalling the days of the 2020 agitation, Nikesh said shops, including his shopping complex, were shut event then, but farmers had them opened. "But now, we are unsure of what is going to happen," he said.

The 'Delhi Chalo' march has been taken out by farmers to press the Centre for a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstate the Land Acquisition Act 2013, withdrawal from the World Trade Organisation, and compensation for families of the farmers who died during the previous agitation, among others.