An indefinite protest was initiated by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Doaba) on Monday regarding the slow procurement of paddy, continuing for a second day outside the Phagwara sugar mill on Tuesday.
Commuters faced significant difficulties as multiple meetings between Deputy Commissioner of Kapurthala Amit Kumar Panchal, Senior Superintendent of Police Vatasala Gupta, and the farmers yielded only limited solutions.
The farmers agreed to clear the service lanes on both sides of the highway after noon.
Traffic moving from Jalandhar to Ludhiana flowed steadily, while vehicles coming from the opposite direction were stuck due to a turn towards Nakodar.
Both the Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police visited grain markets to consult with commission agents.
Panchal reassured the farm leaders that measures were being taken to initiate the procurement and removal of paddy in the grain markets of the Kapurthala district, including Phagwara.
BKU (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai and General Secretary Satnam Singh Sahni expressed that their protest was against the slow pace of lifting and the purchase of produce at prices below the minimum support price (MSP) by private traders in various grain markets throughout the state.