Srinagar, Janaury 4

Kashmir was cut off from rest of the country on Monday as the arterial Jammu-Srinagar national highway and Mughal road were closed due to snowfall across the valley, leaving nearly 4500 vehicles stranded.

“The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is closed due to accumulation of snow at many places, especially around Jawahar Tunnel,” an official of the traffic control department said.

He said snow clearance operations were in full swing and efforts were on to restore movement of stranded vehicles along the 260 kilometre road.  The official said nearly 4500 vehicles, mostly trucks carrying essentials to the valley, are stranded along the highway at various places.

Mughal Road, which connects the valley to Jammu division through Shopian-Rajouri axis, has been closed for several days due to heavy snowfall in the region.  The officials said south Kashmir’s Kulgam district received highest snowfall with two to three feet of snow accumulated at some places.  Anantnag district has also received heavy snowfall between one foot and two feet,  they said.  The flight operations to and from Srinagar remained suspended for second consecutive day due to poor visibility, the officials said.

The minimum temperature improved in most places in the valley due to the snowfall but still stayed below the freezing point, the officials said.

Srinagar city — the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir — recorded a low of minus 0.9 degrees Celsius — up from the previous night’s minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, they said.

The minimum temperature in Gulmarg tourist resort remained unchanged at minus 5 degrees Celsius on Sunday night compared to a night earlier.

Pahalgam tourist resort, which also serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 6.7 degrees Celsius – plunging from minus 1.45 degrees Celsius on the previous night, the officials said.

Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 0.3 degrees Celsius, Kupwara, in the north, minus 0.3 degrees Celsius and Kokernag, minus 1.4 degrees Celsius.

Tribune News service

New Delhi, January 5

A day after the latest round of negotiations between Government of India and the conglomerate of farm bodies failed to bear the fruit, the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha announced intensifying protests against the farm laws.

Social activist Yogendra Yadav who chaired the meeting on Tuesday aimed a dig at the establishment saying it is very clear to them that Government was not serious.

“One can gauge the seriousness when a minister asked us at the last meeting whether we were serious to get all the laws repealed,” Yadav said.

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“So we have decided to intensify our protests starting with the tractor march on January 7 where farmers will get on the eastern and western expressway. It will be a dress rehearsal for our tractor march on January 26,” he added.

The farm bodies had already announced a calendar of protests before the January 4 meeting.

Further, the farm bodies have also decided to gherao members of Parliament from the ruling alliance and burn the copies of farm laws on Makar Sankranti and Lohri.

New Delhi, January 4

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea by 35 students of Panjab University, who had written a letter to the Chief Justice urging him to take cognizance of “excesses” against protesting farmers. The top court has registered the letter as a PIL.

The students have sought direction from the top court to order an inquiry into the Haryana Police action of illegitimate use of water cannons, tear gas shells and lathis on peaceful protesting farmers. The letter contended that farmers are protesting peacefully, but the government is not sensitive to these issues.

The students have urged the Chief Justice to direct the Haryana police and Delhi police to withdraw all the cases against innocent farmers which were registered as political vendetta and order a probe into the cases of illegal detention of farmers. “Firstly, in a democratic country, the will and sentiments of people are sine-qua-non. But, here the Government of India is turning deaf and indifferent in toto to the farmers’ plight. We believe the course of action taken by the Government of India is insensitive to understand farmers sentiments”, said the letter.

The students from the Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Panjab University, Chandigarh, sought a direction to both the Centre and state governments to ensure the safety of all protesters, and provide basic amenities to all, especially women, children and the elderly. Mobile toilet vans should be provided at the protest sites.

The farmers have been protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month, asking the government to repeal the three recently enacted farm laws.

The students also sought a direction to curb fake news and action against media channels indulging in misrepresentation and polarisation of the whole issue.

On December 17, the Supreme Court had unequivocally pronounced that it will not interfere with the farmers’ protest and the right to protest is a fundamental right. However, it emphasized on forming a committee comprising of independent and impartial persons — experts in the field of Agriculture — to resolve the impasse between the Centre and the farmers’ unions.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian had said: “We clarify that this Court will not interfere with the protest in question. Indeed, the right to protest is part of a fundamental right and can, as a matter of fact, be exercised subject to public order.” The observation from the top court came after learning from the Centre that roads are blocked by the police in order to prevent the entry of the protesters/farmers into Delhi.

New Delhi, January 4

As the face-off between the farmers and government over new farm laws await a breakthrough, the onslaught of biting cold wave accompanied by thunderstorms and rain over the past days, have forced a vast populace awaiting at the Delhi border to innovate ways and means to survive the crisis.

At the Singhu border, adjoining Haryana, a Punjab-based farmer has turned his container truck into a makeshift home. Others have made makeshift gyms, libraries and community centres.

Harpreet Singh Mattu, the farmer from Jalandhar, who is part of the farmers’ unrest that has entered Day 40, has equipped his container truck with all kinds of basic amenities.

Mattu told IANS that it took him two days to build the temporary accommodation. He has also been serving ‘langar seva’ at the border since December 2, 2020.

The makeshift home is equipped with every facility you want in a normal functioning home. It has a TV and even a functional toilet along with mobile charging points, a bed and a few sofas.

Mattu told IANS: “I came here at the Singhu border on December 2 last year and since then started a ‘langar seva’ for the farmers who have been continuing with the protest till date.” “On December 8, I turned my truck into a temporary accommodation, for which I have sought assistance from my colleagues,” said the Jalandhar-based farmer.

“There are 12 other trucks owned by me which are busy serving other protesting farmers by providing them blankets to protect them from the biting cold.” –IANS