'Going strong': Punjab 'Pind' replaces tractors as farmers gear up for long haul

New Delhi, Mar 13: Bracing for long haul, farmers protesting against the three central farm laws have now started constructing brick houses, 'mini village' or Punjab pind near Delhi's border. These houses can be easily seen when one moves a few kilometres ahead of the protest site at Singhu border.

"These houses are strong, permanent just like the will of the farmers. 25 houses have been built by us so far. We plan to build 1000-2000 similar houses in the coming days," Kisan Social Army leader, Anil Malik told ANI.

"If the temperatures increase, we will place coolers in the vicinity for comfort. We hope that the Centre withdraws these farm laws," he said.

For over three months, the three Delhi border points at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur have transformed into townships occupied by thousands of farmers from different parts of the country, mainly Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

Despite several rounds of talks between the government and the farmer unions, the two sides have failed to reach an agreement, and the farmers have refused to budge until the three laws are repealed.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.

The protesting farmers, on the other hand, have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with the "mandi" (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

While a resolution was reached on two of the four demands -- rollback of rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning -- in January, a decision on repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP continues to be stuck in limbo.

The fight against the laws was one cause that seemed to have resonated with a large number of farmers throughout the nation, cutting across religious and caste barriers.