New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday granted official permission to the farmers to carry out a tractor rally on January 26 inside the national capital, but on the condition that they will start only after the completion of the official parade on Rajpath. As per the agreement, the farmers will enter Delhi from the borders, but stay in the adjoining areas and not venture towards Central Delhi.

Detailing the plan for the tractor parade, Deependra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) said the rally on Tuesday will be conducted amid tight security after the Republic Day celebrations conclude.

Pathak said, “As the farmers wanted to do a tractor rally on January 26, we have come to a conclusion that the rally will be conducted after the timing of the Republic Day Celebration ends. We have given them around 170 kilometres of distance in three routes.”

Barricades and other security arrangements will be removed and the farmers will enter the national capital. Later, they will return to their destinations after covering a “respectable” distance, police said.

“For the Delhi Police, it will be a challenging task. We have spoken to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Police officers about how it will be conducted in a convenient way. The rally will be started after the time period of the Republic Day Celebration has ended,” Pathak said.

We will have the tractor rally on January 26 and there will be no disturbance of the Republic Day celebration and security arrangements, Pathak said.

The professional assessment of these routes has been done, he said.

The expected number of tractors should be distributed in a way that the rally is concluded in a peaceful and disciplined way, police said, adding that adequate security will be provided to the rally.

“The rally will start from Singhu border and pass through Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Kanjhawala, Bawana, Auchandi Borer, Kundli Manesar Palwal expressway and will return to Singhu border. It will cover a stretch of around 62 kilometres,” Pathak said.

He said the farmers with their tractors will start from Tikri border and pass via Nangloi, Najafgarh, Jharoda, Kundli Manesar Palwal expressway and will head back to Tikri border.

The rally from Ghazipur border will pass through Apsara Border, Hapur Road Kundli Manesar Palwal expressway and conclude at Ghazipur. These farmers groups will cover 46 kilometres of distance, Pathak said.

The routes will cover over 100 kilometres of distance in the national capital, police said.

The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha assured that they will go back to their respective places from where the rally started, police said.

As of now, there are approximately 12,000 to 13,000 tractors at various Delhi border points — around 7,000 to 8,000 at Tikri, around 5,000 at Singhu and around 1,000 at Ghazipur border — police said, adding that their number is expected to go further up.

While police tried to convince farmer leaders to hold their tractor parade outside the national capital, they were adamant on holding the proposed rally on Delhi’s busy Outer Ring Road.

Earlier, there have been three rounds of meetings between the unions and police officers from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, but it was during the fourth round of talks over the tractor parade on Friday where both sides reached an agreement.

Since November last year, farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting against the Centre’s three new agriculture laws at several Delhi border points, including Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, demanding that the legislations be repealed.

(With inputs from PTI)