‘Enough Is Enough’: Angered By Disrespect To Tricolour, Attacks On Delhi Police, Local Villagers Who Helped Protesting Farmers Now Want Them To Leave

Emotions are building up against the protesting farmers on the outskirts of Delhi, reports say. Locals living in villages around the Singhu Border have said that the farmers’ protest and the related blockage and barricading done by police has reportedly impacted nearly 1,800 factories in the Greater Kundli Industrial Area. There are cold storages in the area.

Industrial units dealing with goods, textile, steel and export materials have been impacted owing to the halting of the movement of goods towards Delhi. Incoming supplies from other cities and states, too, have suffered.

Businesses that deal in dry fruits, perishable imported material, processing units have been impacted as well. The units sell their goods to wholesale markets in Delhi. The farmers’ protest began in November. Two months of protests in the area have impacted business.

Due to the protests, and the related blockade, the supply chain from Kundli has been broken. The locals have fears that this may result in the rise in price of certain commodities.

Various news reports on different news channels have shown the locals demanding that at least one road should be kept open to help resume business. The locals have told the media over the last two days that they have been patient and have supported the farmers.

However, now, they want the police to keep at least one road open in order to let goods start flowing to markets in Delhi.

The report states that the protests have had a ripple effect on the supply of goods to Azadpur mandi. The blockage has impacted traders. A trader mentions that he has cancelled orders from Maharashtra. The goods are not moving out and  300 cold storages in the area have not seen goods moving out. They have reached their maximum capacity.

A trader has been quoted as saying: "My trucks are stuck in four different places. Since bananas get spoiled easily. I had to sell them off at dirt cheap prices wherever the trucks are stuck."

The locals have also told news channels that they supported farmers and even helped them with the supply of milk, vegetables and other needs. However, the tractor rally turning violent on 26 January and the disrespect shown to the Tricolour in the violent protest at the Red Fort crossed all limits for them, they said.

"By attacking the jawans and disrespecting the national flag, they have lost all the moral support. Now we want them to leave. They have become a nuisance in the area. The business is shut, people are struggling for their livelihoods. Now they must leave the area. Enough is enough," a local has been quoted as saying.

On January 29 (Friday) local residents staged a protest against the protesting farmer unions at the Tikri border. They marched towards the Tikri border. They were seen carrying the tricolour and placards. They shouted slogans against the farmer groups protesting at the Tikri border.

They said that no farmer will disrespect the Tricolour and that no farmer "will ever attack cops with swords and other weapons."