The 10-hour nationwide shutdown on Monday on the call byfarmers' unions to demand scrapping of three Central farm laws received good responsein Punjab and Haryana where tens of thousands of farmers blocked major highways,including National Highway-1 linking Delhi.
Shops and other commercial establishments were closed inmost towns as traders extended their support to the agitating farmers. Theyopened their establishments only after the shutdown was over.
However, there was no report of any untoward incidentfrom anywhere in the states. Emergency medical services were exempted from theblockade.
But traffic across Punjab and Haryana was hit badly forseveral hours as farmers, farm labourers, commission agents, trade and employeeunions and activists of political parties squatted on national highways from 6a.m. to 4 p.m.
The protesting farmers parked their tractors on highwaysand major link roads in both Punjab and Haryana and squatted on the road.
Even an Indian Army convoy was halted for half an hour inJalandhar town with farmers allowing it to move ahead after checking documents.
Heavy police presence was seen at various places inHaryana and Punjab to maintain law and order.
The police diverted traffic at several places as thefarmers blocked the highways.
Hundreds of people had a harrowing time as buses, taxisand trains did not ply due to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-called BharatBandh.
Commuters were left stranded at railway stations and busstands in various towns and cities as public transport did not ply. People wereforced to trudge with heavy luggage and office-goers too were hit hard.
State roadways, private buses and taxis were off theroads, causing misery to thousands of passengers.
Buses remained parked at bus stands or bus depots, andpassengers were left stranded.
Auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws made a quick buck frompeople wanting to reach their destination on time.
Most of the roads across the two states, including injoint capital Chandigarh, wore a near-deserted look.
While most of the private schools were shut, theattendance at government offices was negligible.
"We have decided not to attend office owing to theclosure of all major road links that started early in the morning," saidNisha Singh, a government employee, who daily commutes from her hometown Khararto Chandigarh.
The worst affected places were Ludhiana, Jalandhar,Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Moga.
In neighbouring Haryana, there were reports of protestersblocking highways in Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kurukshetradistricts.
The farmers are demanding the repeal of the three farmlaws passed by Parliament last year and have expressed apprehension that theywould pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system,leaving them at the mercy of big corporate houses.
The government has maintained that the new laws willprovide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the oppositionparties of misleading farmers.