Farmers’ Protest: National Highway at Singhu Border Turns into Mega Kitchen at Evening

A stretch of the national highway at Singhu border turned into a mega kitchen on Friday evening as exhausted farmers camped on the road along with their tractors and cooked dinner following a long day of protest. Even as police permitted them entry into the national capital, the farmers refused to move to Nirankari ground at Burari where they were asked to continue their agitation against Centre’s farm laws.

Some of the protesting farmers claimed that they were waiting for others who were stuck in Haryana. The tractors driven by farmers were loaded with ration and other food items. In the evening, the highway was lit by the warm glow of gas stoves on which they cooked different dishes, like parathas, daal and rajma-rice.

The generosity of the agitating farmers was at display as they served the food to protesters, passersby and anyone else asking for it. They were also carrying milk in large containers which was promptly boiled and consumed with food. After a long day of protest, farmers turned on the music systems onboard some brightly decorated tractor-trolleys and sang and danced along to songs.

While, the carriageway leading to Delhi from Haryana was completely blocked by stationary tractors, the one leading towards Haryana was operating partially. The service lane was fully operational. While most shops on the highway were closed, some eateries shops were open where many protesters were seen enjoying street food.

The area adjoining the national highway was not affected much despite the chaotic protest and the traffic snarls that accompanied it. The markets inside the colonies, around 2-3 kilometre from Singhu border towards Haryana, were open normally.