Farmers gear up for week-long Chandigarh-Mohali protest, announce route

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is organizing a week-long protest in Chandigarh and Mohali, commencing from September 1. The SKM, a coalition of 32 farmer organizations, has detailed the route and parking arrangements for the protest. Hundreds of tractor-trolleys and trucks are being prepared to transport farmers and supplies to the protest site.

Initially, the protest was planned for a location between Sectors 49 and 51, but the Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police subsequently denied this. The SKM has now confirmed the protest site in Sector 48-C, located on the road leading from the IISER T-point towards Tribune Chowk. The main protest area is expected to be around 2.5-2.75 km from the intersection towards Tribune Chowk.

Farmers are instructed to park their vehicles along the left side of the three-lane road on this route. The SKM has also identified parks and the Mohali Golf Club for additional parking and arrangements. Different farmers arriving from various parts of Punjab have been given specific instructions on how to reach the protest site.

The protest is expected to involve the display of a main stage, and farmer leaders have expressed concerns about potential government obstacles. The SKM's demands include scrapping river water agreements, restoring Punjab's representation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board, repealing the Dam Safety Act, withdrawal of the Disaster Management Act 2024, guaranteed minimum support prices for all crops, loan waivers, a sugarcane price of Rs 500 per quintal, and opposition to free trade agreements with the US and European Union.