Farmers to block Western Peripheral Expressway on 100th day of protest tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The farmers' unions protesting against the Centre’s three controversial farm laws have announced a five-hour blockade of the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway on Saturday (March 6, 2021) to mark the 100th day of their ongoing agitation.

The announcement was made by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which said that the farmers will block the Western Peripheral Expressway or Kundli–Manesar–Palwal (KMP) Expressway on March 6 as their agitation against the farm laws completes 100 days. 

According to a statement issued by the SKM, thousands of farmers will block the expressway for 5 hours between 11 AM and 4 PM. 

"March 6 will mark the 100th day of the farmers' protest on the borders of Delhi. On that day, there will be a 5-hour blockade on the KMP Expressway connecting various protest sites. The blockade will be between 11 AM and 4 PM and no toll will be collected at the toll plazas during this time," farmer leader Balvir Singh Rajewal said.

"In the rest of the country, the day will be marked by hoisting black flags on houses and offices to support the movement. The SKM members will be wearing black bands on that day as a mark of protest," he added.

The SKM is also working on a strategy for the states where Assembly elections are scheduled. The members of the farmers' body will visit the states and participate in various programmes and campaign against the ruling BJP and its allies.

Besides, the SKM will also mark March 8 as “Mahila Kisan Diwas”. The SKM has invited women's organisations and others on that day to support the farmers' movement and highlight the contributions of women farmers to the country.

On March 15, the SKM along with the Central trade unions will mark the day as 'anti-privatisation' day. The SKM will support the call of trade unions by marking the day as 'anti-corporatisation' day and extend solidarity to the protests of trade unions across the country.

The farmer leaders added that the SKM will also launch a 'MSP Dilao Abhiyan' across the country. As part of the campaign, the actual price received by the farmers in different markets will be highlighted so as to show the government that the promises made about the MSP are false. 

The campaign will be started from the southern states - Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Western Peripheral Expressway is a 6-lane (each direction) road. The 135-km expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. 

It provides a high-speed link between the northern and southern districts of Haryana. The road was built to decongest the roads of Delhi by reducing the number of trucks entering the national capital.

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