Hundreds of farmers from Punjab blocked one of the key entry corridors into Chandigarh on Tuesday, initiating a week-long protest scheduled to continue until September 7. Demonstrating under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the agitators are pressing for a statutory Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops based on the recommendations of the Dr. Swaminathan Commission report. To maintain public order and avoid any untoward incidents, police authorities from both Chandigarh and Punjab have mobilized heavy security personnel along the border checkpoints.
Airport Corridor Blocked as Farmers Pitch Camp
Protesting farmers parked rows of tractor-trailers along one side of the heavily used highway leading toward the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, erecting canvas tents to establish a continuous campsite. With additional groups of farmers arriving with supplies and food rations from rural parts of Punjab, officials expect the crowd size at the protest site to expand significantly by Tuesday evening.
To facilitate organized gatherings, the Chandigarh administration allocated a designated protest site in Sector 48, where a large stage was constructed for union leaders to address the assembly. While authorities allowed demonstrators to park their vehicles along one lane of the two-lane highway, the seven-day agitation is likely to cause substantial disruption for commuters traveling to the airport and surrounding districts.
Key Demands Put Forward by the Kisan Morcha
The SKM banner at this protest represents a coalition of 32 agricultural organizations, including the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), the Kirti Kisan Union, and the Punjab Kisan Union. In addition to a legal MSP guarantee, the union leaders are urging the Punjab state government to convene a special legislative assembly session to revoke all previous agreements regarding the sharing of Punjab's river waters.
Their broader charter of demands also includes reinstating Punjab's traditional representation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), repealing the Dam Safety Act, and withdrawing the Disaster Management Act of 2024.
Parallel Protests by BKU Ugrahan and Administrative Measures
While BKU (Ugrahan) is an associate member of the SKM, it is not participating in the Chandigarh border blockade. Instead, BKU (Ugrahan) launched a separate, indefinite agitation on August 30 outside the offices of Deputy Commissioners across 17 districts in Punjab. Their specific demands include canceling the India-US trade agreement, abolishing Punjab's land pooling policy, scrapping decisions that alter tenant farmers' land ownership rights, and executing a complete waiver of agricultural loans for farmers and farm laborers.
Regarding traffic management around the demonstration area, Mohali Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal stated that district administration officials are working to keep one lane of the highway open to accommodate two-way vehicular movement and minimize disruption for daily travelers.
