"Trying To Convince Farmers": UP On Plea Against Road Block By Protesters

Yogi Adityanath's UP government informed the Supreme Court that most protesting farmers who have blocked roads were aged.

The Uttar Pradesh government has said that it is trying to convince farmers about the illegality, in light of a Supreme Court order from April, of blocking roads as part of their ongoing protest against three farm laws brought in by the Centre last year. In an affidavit filed in connection with a public interest litigation filed in the court by a resident of Noida seeking removal of road-blocks created by protesters, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government has said that efforts were underway to "make farmers understand" the "grossly illegal act of blocking roads". "Most of the protesters are aged and old farmers," the affidavit has said. "Diversions have been created to allow for smooth movement of traffic between Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi via the Maharajpur and Hindon roads as NH 24 was still blocked." A hearing on the PIL by Monica Agarwal is scheduled to take place tomorrow before a bench of Justices SK Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy. The plea says "it has become a nightmare" to travel to Delhi from Noida which takes two hours instead of the usual 20 minutes.