The Congress is set to stage a major protest across Madhya Pradesh on Thursday by blocking the Agra-Mumbai National Highway (NH-52) at seven locations. The party has finalised protest points and made extensive preparations for the agitation, which will begin from Indore at 10:30 AM. State Congress chief Jitu Patwari and Harish Chaudhary will lead the demonstration at Pigdambar in Indore.
Preparation for massive jam on AB Road
Vipin Wankhede, Indore Congress District President, said the protest is being organized across Madhya Pradesh in the presence of the PCC chief and state in-charge. He said the blockade on AB Road will be carried out on a large scale, with participation from a large number of Congress workers and farmers.
Wankhede said farmers are both angry and enthusiastic, feeling betrayed over their issues. He added that Congress is launching the movement in support of farmers and has invited them to join the protest. In several areas, party workers appealed to farmers by distributing yellow rice as an invitation to participate.
In Manawar, Congress distributed yellow rice in more than 15 villages, inviting them to join the movement.
Police implemented traffic diversion
Considering the Congress’s sit-in protest and road blockade, the traffic police have issued an advisory. A diversion plan will be implemented for all types of vehicles commuting on National Highway 52 (Agra-Mumbai route).
According to the police, four-wheelers coming and going from Manpur, Indore, and Dewas will be diverted via Rau Circle, Pithampur, Bhanwarkua, and Vishal Chauraha routes. For heavy vehicles, alternative routes have been set via Ujjain, Badnawar, Lebad, and Maheshwar-Kasrawad routes.
The administration has appealed to drivers to use the designated alternative routes and avoid entering congested areas unnecessarily, to prevent any inconvenience.
Procurement system completely failed: Sharma
A day before this, senior Congress leader and former minister PC Sharma told reporters in Bhopal that the government’s procurement system has completely failed. Repeated extensions of procurement and slot booking dates have exposed the system’s weakness.
In the initial 14 days of procurement, only 9.30 lakh metric tons of wheat have been procured, causing huge losses to farmers. Farmers are struggling with problems like slot booking, uploading registration slips, and delays in payment.
This Congress movement is likely to affect traffic in about 11 districts. The party has called it a major movement in the interest of farmers, while the administration has also started preparations for security and traffic management.
