Will Shambhu border open, hearing in SC today? Know what are the demands of the farmers and since when is the border closed

Farmers’ Protest: The Supreme Court is going to hear the matter of opening the Shambhu border on the Punjab-Haryana border on Wednesday (August 21). The court can decide the names of negotiators to talk to the farmers today. Last time when the matter was heard in the apex court on August 12, the court had said that the SSPs of Ambala and Patiala should hold a meeting and see that some routes can be opened for the needy people.

In such a situation, let us know why the farmers are protesting? For what reasons are the farmers protesting and for how long has the Shambhu border been closed? Also, let us try to know how far is the Shambhu border from Delhi?

Since when is Shambhu border closed and which organisations are protesting?

The protest is being organised by 250 farmer unions under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political). The Shambhu border has been closed since February 13, the day several farmer unions from Punjab started marching towards Delhi with their demands. In view of the farmers’ march, the Haryana government put up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway to stop them. In this way, the security forces stopped the farmers there and the farmers have been camping there for about seven months.

What are the demands of the farmers?

The main demand of the farmers protesting at Shambhu border is regarding MSP. MSP is the price at which the government promises to buy agricultural produce from the farmers. There is MSP for 22 crops in the country, which mainly include grains, pulses and oilseeds, paddy etc. Apart from this, there are some major demands of the farmers, which are as follows:-

• The loans of farmers and laborers should be waived off.
• Land Acquisition Act 2013 should be implemented.
• The accused of Lakhimpur violence should be punished. Farmers were crushed to death by a vehicle in Lakhimpur.
• Withdraw from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and stop all free trade agreements.
• Pension arrangements should be made for farmers and agricultural labourers.
• People who lost their lives during the farmers’ protest in Delhi should be given pension. Also, one member of the family should get a job.

How far is Shambhu Border from Delhi?

Shambhu border falls in Patiala district of Punjab. Its borders touch Ambala in Haryana. Shambhu border is about 200 kilometers away from Delhi. It will not take much time for the farmers to reach here, so they have been stopped there by barricading the border.

Also read: How did protesting farmer Shubhkaran Singh die? Postmortem report reveals, metal pellet found in skull