Upset over the lack of adequate electricity for agricultural pump sets, farmers from Punjab blocked the Ambala-Chandigarh National Highway at Lalru on Tuesday. This caused inconvenience to motorists from Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, as well as those from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), the farmers staged a protest outside the Powercom XEN office in Lalru. The demonstration was spearheaded by the organization’s district president, Lakhwinder Singh Happy Malakpur.
Raising slogans against the Punjab government and Powercom, the farmers demanded an uninterrupted power supply. They alleged that they were facing difficulties because agricultural pump sets were not receiving the required electricity. Their anger intensified when they failed to receive a satisfactory response from the XEN during the protest, prompting them to block the Ambala-Chandigarh National Highway. This disrupted traffic on the main route.
The blockade remained in place from 11:00 AM to approximately 12:30 PM, leaving motorists stranded for about an hour and a half. Subsequently, the police administration and Powercom officials held a meeting with the farmer leaders.
During the discussions, Powercom officials gave a written assurance to the farmers that an uninterrupted 20-hour power supply for agricultural pump sets would be ensured henceforth. Upon receiving this written assurance, the farmers cleared the blockade on the national highway and announced the end of their protest.
