Commuters stranded in traffic jam on Samruddhi Highway as farmers block roads, hold protest in Nagpur
Along with the trucks, general commuters also suffered as they were stranded in the jam. Talking to India TV, one member of a family said that the entire family had gone to visit Ayodhya and they are stuck on the Samruddhi Highway since 3:00 pm on Tuesday and do not know when the jam will clear.
Massive traffic jams were witness as farmers staged demonstrations in Nagpur. Farmers and Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) workers, led by former Maharashtra Minister Bachchu Kadu, blocked the Nagpur-Hyderabad Highway during a protest demanding a complete loan waiver for the farmers in the state. Traffic jams were seen on the Outer Ring Road, Nagpur-Hyderabad, Nagpur-Chandrapur, and Nagpur-Wardha Road.
Check protesting farmers’ demands
During the tractor rally protest in Nagpur, Kadu demanded that the Maharashtra government provide immediate and unconditional loan waivers to the debt-ridden farmers.
The agitators stated that despite repeated assurances, the government failed to provide adequate relief to the drought-stricken farming community.
In the meantime, police personnel deployed to manage traffic. Thousands of farmers joined the march with tractors.
Commuters, truck drivers stranded since Tuesday
Talking to India TV, truck drivers said they stranded since 3:00 pm on Tuesday. They have nothing to eat or drink and have spent the entire time on the roads, and still don't know when the roads will reopen.
Along with the trucks, general commuters also suffered as they were stranded in the jam. Talking to India TV, one member of a family said that the entire family had gone to visit Ayodhya and they are stuck on the Samruddhi Highway since 3:00 pm on Tuesday and do not know when the jam will clear.
High Court asks protesters to vacate site by 6 pm
Amid farmers' agitation in Nagpur, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court issued an order directing that the protest site be vacated by 6 PM today. Justice Rajneesh Vyas passed the order while hearing a suo motu petition. The court noted that permission for the protest was granted only for 24 hours.
CM Fadnavis urges Kadu to discuss farmers' issues
In the meantime, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday appealed to Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) leader Bachchu Kadu to discuss farmers' issues with the government, instead of holding agitations that inconvenience the public and may be exploited by "vested interests".
Fadnavis was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Pune, a day after former state minister Kadu led a tractor rally in Nagpur, seeking a complete loan waiver for farmers and listing a host of other demands.
The tractor march, comprising thousands of farmers and PJP workers led by Kadu, began on Monday from Chandurbazar in Amravati district and halted at Wardha before arriving in Nagpur on Tuesday evening.
Kadu on Wednesday asserted that the agitation will not stop until the government decides on their demands, and said instead of calling him to Mumbai, the CM should meet him in Nagpur for discussions.
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