Ahead of the farmers' march to Delhi, the district administration in Haryana's Sonipat has asked fuel pump owners to not fill up bottles or other containers, NDTV reported on Sunday. The administration has asked the pumps to not provide more than 10-litre of petrol to tractors. The administration has also warned that providing fuel to those associated with the farmers' protest will attract action, the report said.
More than 200 farmer unions have called for a march to Delhi on February 13. They have been demanding a law to guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce and pension and insurance schemes.
The Haryana Police has issued a traffic advisory urging people to avoid the main roads of the state unless absolutely necessary. To ensure law and order before the protest, large gatherings have been banned in Delhi's Seelampur district and Haryana's Panchkula city. The Delhi Police is also on high alert regarding the farmers' march, and tight security is being maintained on all borders of Delhi.
To prevent farmers from Haryana and Punjab from reaching the Delhi border, the Delhi Police has started preparations, and large cranes and containers have been placed at the borders. If farmers attempt to enter the Delhi border by crossing Haryana and Punjab in any way, the border will be sealed with cranes and containers.
In its advisory, the Haryana Police has also advised against travel to Punjab during this period and encouraged citizens to monitor its social media channels for updates on traffic conditions. Furthermore, the police have cautioned of potential traffic disruptions on all main routes from Haryana to Punjab.
The Haryana government has ordered the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS in the districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa from 6 am on Sunday to 11.59 pm on February 13. Additionally, extensive security measures have already been implemented on the Punjab-Haryana borders in Ambala, Jind, and Fatehabad districts to maintain law and order.
(With inputs from Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu and Arvind Ojha)