As the last temporary houses on the Singhu border were vandalized or packed, barricades put up by the Delhi Police on Sunday were being demarcated.
A senior police officer present at the spot, on the condition of anonymity, said that four out of the five layers of the barricades have been almost completely removed. Heavy machinery was deployed to clear the concrete blocks, while some shipping containers and concertina wires are yet to be removed. The barricades were further strengthened after violence during the farmers’ march on 26 January.
“Some of the strong structures installed at the protest site are yet to be removed. Once they are cleared tomorrow, the road debris is removed, and repairs are done, it may be possible to consider opening the highway for traffic after two days,” the police officer said.
The police have also cleared most of the tents used by the force deployed round the clock at the spot. Heaters and coolers for the police at the scene were sent back on Sunday and the remaining tents would be removed by Monday. “We have multi-layer barricading in Singhu – over 200 temporary and permanent barriers. The roads are likely to be opened for vehicular movement by Monday evening,” said another official.
Gurtej Singh was preparing to leave for Bathinda on Monday amid broken pieces of concrete, bamboo and straw at the protest site. He will also take with him a temporary house built on the site a year ago.
A structure made of bamboo and straw was being tied to a multi-axle truck on Sunday evening. “We spent a month building it last December. It was a slow, collective effort. The walls are covered with mud which can keep the structure cool in summer,” said Ravinder Singh of Mohali.
He said the house would be taken to an orphanage in Bathinda where it would be kept in memory of the protest. An artist from Bathinda painted the front walls of the structure with images of farmers and their demands.
People present at the site also lit candles on Sunday evening in memory of the farmers who lost their lives during the protest.
Meanwhile, shop owners who are grappling with mixed feelings with establishments located along the site – relief that the highway will open to regular traffic that had resumed since the protest began, and the awkwardness of the protest site is no longer there.
“It will be strange for a while when the highway is back compared to a year ago. It is almost as if an entire village has been ruined,” said Pawan Kumar, a resident of Narela, just a short distance from the main platform in Singhu Runs a grocery store.
“We had a ringside view of what happened here. It’s something we’ll be telling stories about for generations to come.”
He said some shops in the vicinity remained closed intermittently in the last one year. Tek Chand, who runs a tea stall nearby, said, “We are happy that the work of the protesters here is done and we can get back to regular business as well.”
Farmers cleaning the strike site. (Amit Mehra)
Deepak Mittal’s wholesale kirana store is sandwiched between two layers of barricades that were being torn apart on Sunday. He was delighted to see them go – the only way to reach his shop was by squeezing the narrow space between the concrete barricades and the wall of the adjoining shop.
At the Ghazipur border, the police said the roads would be cleared after all the protesters left the site. “We are hoping that they will be gone by December 15. Once the site is cleared, the roads will be opened for smooth traffic. We have already removed barricades from one side in Delhi. The Uttar Pradesh Police will soon clear the rest,” said a police officer.
The barricades on Rohtak road at Tikri border have already been removed and the way has been cleared for vehicles. “Farmers had temporary setups and most of them are gone. To make the process easier, we have removed all barricading in the area. We have only 3-4 layers of barricading on one side. We have cleared that as well. There is no blockage and the roads are open,” said an official.
,