Hoshiarpur city remains inaccessible due to blocade

Hoshiarpur, May 11 (UNI) Hoshiarpur city and its adjoining areas including Mahilpur town today remained cut off from rest of Punjab due to a day long blockade and bandh call given by the District Sangarsh Committee to protest against the toll-plazas installed at Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) roads on Balachaur-Dasuya and Hoshiarpur-Tanda routes.

With special security arrangements to prevent any clash, the dawn-to-dusk bandh was near total in the city and Mahilpur town, where normal life was almost paralysed.

Traffic was blocked throughout the day on all the state highways including Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur-Phagwara, Hoshiarpur-Tanda, Hoshiarpur-Dasuya and Hoshiarpur-Dharamshala, Hoshiarpur-Una as all exit and entry points to the city were blocked by the protesters. They parked tractor-trailors, trucks and canters across the roads.

Traffic on Jalandhar-Pathankot Railway section was paralysed for more than half and hour as members of District Sangarsh Committee led their Chairman Vikram Kumra and Mr Harish Khosla, President, squatted on the railway track at Khakhan. They also blocked traffic on Jalandhar-Jammu GT road, at Khakhan, but on the appeal of the Deputy Commissiner D. K. Tiwari, lifted the dharna and blockade.

Schools remained closed and the attendance in all the government offices remained poor due to the blockade of vehicular traffic.

Shops and business establishment also remained shut in support of the agitation.

The members of the District Bar Association also observed strike in support of the demand of the District Sangarsh Committee.

Many roads and streets in the city wore a deserted look.

Private cars and two-wheelers were seen moving on the roads occasionally.

Activists of District Sangarsh Committee in groups took out processions and staged dharnas and demonstrations in various parts of the city.

Ms Anita Punj, SSP, Hoshiarpur claimed that the law and order situation was under control and bandh was peaceful.

UNI