Farmers block the Delhi-Pune expressway, causing severe traffic near the boundary with Noida. Tractor march

In Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Hapur, and Amroha, farmers staged a tractor march that caused traffic disruptions by parking their tractors in the left lane of roads.

Farmers and activists from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait) clogged the NH 58 in Mohiuddinpur in Meerut. The BKU has issued a call for farmers to park their tractors on highways in support of the demands of farmers who are protesting in Punjab and Haryana.

Tikait said on Monday that the purpose of the tractor march is to make the Narendra Modi administration pay attention to them and remember the farmers.

“A plan to remove a ‘Tractor chain’ has been selected. On the highway leading to Delhi, particularly the divider highway, tractors will be parked. Tikait, who spearheaded the 2020–21 movement against the Center’s since-repealed agricultural policies, told ANI that it was determined to register a new sort of protest so that the government would listen to us and not forget the farmers.

LIVE coverage of farmers’ protest

“We had traveled to Chandigarh for a Sanyukt Morcha meeting. A six-person committee has been established. It was established in order to have discussions with all farmer organizations that are not affiliated with Sanyukt Morcha.Any organization may speak with the committee if it want to join the Sanyukt Morcha,” he said.

Farmers connected to Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Tikait and BKU Lokshakti are leading the tractor march.

“We farmers haven’t heard from the government with a message yet. Opening up a discourse is never impossible. Here, we are demonstrating in order to have a discussion. Thus, we would attend the meeting whenever one is scheduled, a farmer representative was cited by PTI as saying during a news conference.

Due to a planned tractor march by farmers towards the national capital, traffic is expected to be impacted at the Delhi-Noida border on Monday, according to authorities who spoke with PTI. A protest march led by farmers along the Yamuna Expressway, the Luharli toll plaza, and the Mahamaya overpass is scheduled.

The Delhi Police have erected barriers to increase border checks. Due to the checks, there was a lot of traffic at the Chilla border heading from Delhi towards Noida.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police said that thorough inspections would be carried out by the Delhi Police and the district police, who will erect barriers at every border crossing between the capital and Noida. Traffic will be rerouted based on the circumstances.

The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) are leading the “Delhi Chalo” protest march. The agitation is meant to exert pressure on the Center to give in to the demands of the farmers, which include a remission of agricultural loans and a legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The farmers’ march was halted by security officers on February 13, so they set up camp at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of Punjab’s border with Haryana.

According to farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, who was cited by PTI, the farmers would remain at the two border sites till February 29, at which time the next course of action will be determined.

Following skirmishes in Khanauri on Wednesday that resulted in the death of a protester and the injuries of around twelve police officers, farmer leaders decided to postpone the “Delhi Chalo” march for two days.