Protesting farmers in Punjab's Phagwara lifts road blockade in wake of Raksha Bandhan

Farmers, who had been protesting for the past three days demanding payment of sugarcane arrears, on Thursday lifted the road blockade from a section of NH-1 here in the wake of Raksha Bandhan.

Farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba) had been staging an ''indefinite'' sit-in on a carriageway of the Ludhiana-Jalandhar section of the national highway-1 near a sugar mill since Monday. The other carriageway of the highway, however, has been kept open.

They had been protesting against ''inordinate'' delays in the clearance of arrears worth Rs 72 crore to cane growers by a sugar mill in Punjab's Phagwara.

Manjit Singh Rai, president of BKU (Doaba) on Thursday said they cared for the public, particularly sisters, and lifted the road blockade so that there was no hurdle for them in celebrating rakhi festival.

"But the insensitive state government did not bother for people as it had done precious little to solve issue of Rs 72 crore arrears to be paid by the local sugar mill,'' Rai alleged.

He, however, said the protesters will intensify their stir and will block both sides of the Ludhiana-Jalandhar section from Friday.