Protesting Farmers At Shambhu Border Agreed To Partially Open Blocked Highway: Punjab Govt To SC

The Punjab government on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that in compliance with the August 12 order, they held a meeting with the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border in which they had agreed to partially open the blocked highway.

On August 12, the top court asked the Punjab government to persuade the farmers protesting at the Shambhu border since February 13 to remove tractors and trollies from the road, saying that "highways are not parking space".

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would soon constitute a multi-member committee to amicably resolve the grievances of farmers "for all times".

ALSO READ | SC Asks Punjab Govt To Persuade Protesting Farmers To Remove Tractors At Shambu Border

A bench of Justice Surya Kant, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, which posted the matter for further hearing on September 2, asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to give tentative issues concerning farmers to the panel.

The Supreme Court bench on Thursday asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to keep engaging with protesting farmers and persuade them to remove their tractors and trollies from the highway.

The top court has been hearing the Haryana government's plea challenging the high court's order asking it to remove within a week the barricades erected at the Shambhu border near Ambala where protesting farmers have been camping since February 13.

ALSO READ | 'Take Some Steps To Reach Out': SC To Haryana Over Shambhu Border Blockade

The Haryana government had set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway in February after the 'Samyukta Kisan Morcha' (Non-Political) and 'Kisan Mazdoor Morcha' announced that farmers would march to Delhi in support of their demands, including legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.