'There has been no further extension of internet suspension at these (protest) sites as of now,' a Home Ministry official said on Wednesday.
Strict security measures continued to be in place on Wednesday at the farmers’ protest site located near the Ghazipur border. Last week, thousands of farmers from Haryana and Rajasthan flocked to the site after protesting farm unions announced their decision to intensify their agitation against the Centre’s recent agriculture legislations.
Regarding internet services at the site, Ghaziabad Police officer told PTI that online connectivity has been restored but added that there could be glitches.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had suspended internet services at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders and their adjoining areas from 11 pm on January 29 till 11 pm on January 31. Later, the government extended the suspension till 11 pm on February 2.
“There has been no further extension of internet suspension at these sites as of now,” a Home Ministry official said on Wednesday.
However, BKU's Meerut zone president Pawan Khatana said that he couldn’t access the internet at Ghazipur on Wednesday.
Iron nails studded on roads, multi-layer iron and concrete barricades and concertina wires tuned the Ghazipur protest site into what many called a “fortress”.
On the security apparatus at the protest sites, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava had Tuesday told media, “We have only strengthened the barricading so that it is not broken again.”
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at the Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The protesting farmers have expressed the apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.
With PTI inputs