Ludhiana: In response to the bandh call given by the farmers’ unions for Friday, most of the shops in the city’s major markets remained shut. However, factories remained fully operational.
At several places, shops re-opened in the afternoon after remaining closed for about four hours. Some banks and business establishments downed their main shutters and operated through alternative doors. A tractor rally organised by some protesters passed through the Old City market to show support to farmers. Heavy police force was deployed at the main chowks leading to the markets.
Businessmen faced problems due to the blockades that made commuting and transportation of goods difficult. Major parts of the city that were blocked by protesters included Gill Chowk, Shivpuri Chowk, Bharat Nagar Chowk, Sherpur Chowk, Transport Nagar, Gill Canal crossing and Dugri Canal crossing. Public transport remained non-operational and as the city-based transporters had already given support to the bandh call, they did not run their out-of-the-city services. People travelling to other cities too suffered due to traffic jams at highways and major intersections.
Vaibhav Sehgal, a bicycle parts’ manufacturer, said, “It took me at least one hour more to reach my factory at Focal Point as several main crossings and roads were blocked. It was very difficult to find an alternative route as blockades were almost everywhere.”
A garment manufacturer said, “I had sent my car and driver to Chandigarh airport to receive a client who was coming from another state. But it took almost four hours to reach the airport due to the protests as almost all the major roads leading to it were blocked.”
Narinder Mittal, general secretary of Ludhiana Business Forums, said, “All major roads leading to industrial areas and entry and exit points of the city were blocked. In the morning I tried going to my factory located near Shivpuri, but had to return home from midway as both the routes were blocked.”