Hundreds of farmers marching to Parliament stopped at Noida, Section 144 imposed

Noida: Hundreds of farmers marching to the Parliament were stopped by police near the Mahamaya flyover here on Thursday. Noida Police stepped up security along its borders with Delhi as thousands of farmers and villages descended on the ground with a plan to march to the Parliament, officials said. This also slowed down movement of vehicular traffic at various routes, including the key stretches of Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and DND that thousands of commuters opt daily.

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait joined the protestors in Greater Noida in the afternoon where his Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) members have been protesting outside the local authority office.

In Noida, the protestors are led by the Bharatiya Kisan Parishad, whose activists have held camps outside the local authority office since December 2023.

"In view of the farmers' movement, barriers are being installed at all the borders of Delhi and at Kisan Chowk and other places. Each vehicle is being checked and passed due to which the traffic is moving slowly," a police spokesperson said. "Senior officials and other personnel are present at various locations to control the traffic. The traffic is being monitored continuously," he added.

The farmers led by the Bharatiya Kisan Parishad assembled at the Mahamaya Flyover in Noida at 12.30 pm on Thursday, with a proposed plan to march towards the Parliament.

"From Mahamaya Flyover, the farmers shall march towards the Parliament in Delhi to press for our long-pending demands," BKP leader Sukhbir Yadav 'Khalifa' said.

Ahead of the protest demonstration by the farmers in Noida and Greater Noida, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police had already imposed CrPC section 144 for Wednesday and Thursday.

The police also issued a traffic advisory, cautioning the commuters against diversions on some routes in the twin cities in view of the farmers' movement on tractors.

By 1 pm, heavy traffic jams were witnessed on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, DND loop, Kanlindi Kunj bridge, around Dalit Prerna Sthal, Atta Chowk and Rajnigandha Chowk in Noida.

Similar snarls were witnessed at Pari Chowk in Greater Noida, with the police saying that they were making efforts to ensure smooth traffic movement.

The farmers groups in Noida and Greater Noida have been on protest since December 2023, with demands for hiked compensation and developed plots against their land acquired by the local development authorities in the past.
(With PTI inputs.)