Traffic hit as pro-agri law farmers gather in Noida

Traffic movement from Noida to Delhi was affected on Thursday afternoon as hundreds of farmers, who support the Centre's new agriculture laws, assembled near the Mahamaya Flyover in Noida, officials said.

These farmers, belonging to various districts of western Uttar Pradesh, have come for the demonstration on the call of farmers' union Kisan Sena and want to go to Delhi to meet Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, according to the outfit's conevnor Thakur Gauri Shankar Singh.

This demonstration in Noida comes even as two major farmers' unions -- the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) -- are camping at the city's border for over three weeks now to demand the repeal of the three new central farm laws.

Besides them, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have stayed put for nearly a month at other border points of Delhi, including Singhu and Tikri, to protest against the laws.

Scores of BKU (Bhanu) members have dug their heels at the Chilla border while BKU (Lok Shakti) supporters are at the Dalit Prerna Sthal.

The simultaneous protests by those against and in support of the farm laws have prompted partial closure of the Noida-Delhi Link Road and diversion on some routes, according to Noida Traffic Police.

"Traffic has been diverted to the Kalindi Kunj route from a little prior to the Mahamaya Flyover, where protestors have gathered.

"The DND route is temporarily closed while the Chilla route is partially closed. Commuters coming from Delhi to Noida are allowed through Chilla but not the other way round," an official told PTI.

The official said around 4 pm that the diversion from Mahamaya Flyover and the closure of the DND route from Noida 'appears to get over' in 'some hours'.