Villagers as well as farmers’ families garlanded farmers arriving in tractors at several places along the Delhi-Karnal-Ambala and Delhi-Hisar National Highways as well as other state highways; They were welcomed by feeding them laddus, barfi and other sweets.
Villagers and others who supported the farmers’ movement gathered along the highways to welcome them and showered flowers on the farmers.
National Highways Authority of India Project Director (Haryana) Virender Sharma said that all the four toll plazas located between Chandigarh and Delhi will start functioning within two to three days.
The farmers had staged a ‘dharna’ at the toll plaza, forcing them to not work for more than a year.
On his return, farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal was given a warm welcome at the Shambhu border and congratulated the farmers for their “victory”.
Talking to reporters at Shambhu border, he said, “I congratulate all Punjabis and countrymen. A big battle has been won…Thank you also to those who supported the movement. We have hit the ‘front’ and the central government was forced to bow down.
Rajewal also said that he remembers and pays tribute to the “sacrifices” of farmers in the fight against the Centre’s agricultural laws. He said that over 700 farmers lost their lives.
Malkit Singh, president of Ambala Bhartiya Kisan Union said that a small plane showered flowers on the convoy of farmers on reaching Punjab-Haryana border, Shambhu. He told that a NRI was asked to make arrangements for the aircraft.
A family had arrived from Chandigarh to welcome the farmers near the Singhu border on the Delhi-Haryana border.
A resident of Chandigarh, who supported the farmers’ movement, said, “We are very happy and our happiness cannot be expressed in words. This victory is the result of ‘penance’ of the farmers who faced all kinds of troubles including harsh weather.
The vehicular movement slowed down at several places on the Delhi-Ambala and Delhi-Rohtak national highways due to the mobilization of tractor trolleys and other vehicles.
Haryana Police had made arrangements to ensure hassle-free movement of traffic on national highways in the state and additional personnel were deployed for traffic management.
The happy-looking farmers, especially the excited youth and women, performed “Bhangra” to the tunes of “Dhol” as they returned to their homes in Punjab and Haryana.
At Khanauri near Punjab, villagers gathered in large numbers to welcome the agitators and also lit firecrackers.
A farmer from Ludhiana said, “We are returning victorious.”
Meanwhile, in Panipat, members of the Muslim community arranged food for farmers who were on their way to their destinations from the borders of Delhi.
Preparations were made to welcome the farmers at various toll plazas and other places on the national highways. After doing ‘Ardas’ at the Singhu border, a large convoy of tractors started returning to Punjab and Haryana in the morning.
Farmers are returning home after a year-long agitation against the central government’s three agricultural laws ended. The Center has decided to repeal these laws.
Punjabi victory and patriotic songs were playing in tractors, decorated with flowers and colorful lights and waving the national flag and flags of farmers’ unions. At the same time, the people in them were shouting “Bole so Nihal, Sat Shri Akal”.
The tractor trolley was loaded with cots, mattresses, utensils and other items which the farmers brought with them during the movement. The farmers of Punjab and Haryana also hugged each other and raised slogans of ‘Punjab and Haryana Bhaichara Zindabad’.
Farmers said that due to the demonstrations, the brotherhood and bond between the farmers of both the states has become stronger. Many farmers of Punjab thanked the people of Haryana for their support during the agitation.
Some farmers, including women, were doing ‘Bhangra’ at the Shambhu border. Arrangements for ‘langar’ were made for the farmers returning home near Bastara toll plaza in Karnal and at Shambhu border near Ambala.
It may be mentioned that the Shambhu inter-state border on the national highway is the place where Haryana Police had on November 26 last year lobbed water cannons and tear gas shells at farmers to prevent them from moving towards the national capital.
Meanwhile, in a collision between a truck and a tractor trolley in Haryana’s Hisar district, at least two farmers in the trolley died on Saturday. After the announcement of the end of the farmers’ movement, these people were returning back to their homes from the Tikri border of Delhi. Police said that a farmer was seriously injured in this accident. The incident took place in Dhandur village of Hisar district, he said.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a leader organization of 40 farmers’ organizations, on Thursday decided to suspend the agitation against the three agricultural laws and announced that farmers would return home from protest sites on Delhi’s borders on December 11. .
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