Delhi Airport issues advisory ahead of farmers’ protest march towards capital

As a massive group of farmers from Haryana and Punjab gears up for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march towards the national capital, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has issued an advisory, urging passengers to ‘plan your trip accordingly.’ The advisory comes in anticipation of potential disruptions and traffic diversions due to the farmers’ protest.

More than 200 farmers’ unions are set to participate in the protest, commencing at 10 am today, to press the Centre for the acceptance of their demands, including a guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP). In light of the expected traffic diversions, the IGIA advisory recommends travelers to plan their trips considering potential delays and alternate routes.

To facilitate timely arrivals, passengers are strongly encouraged to use the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro for Terminal 1 (T1) or the airport Metro for Terminal 3 (T3) for convenient transportation options, as mentioned in the advisory. Additionally, the advisory includes information from the Delhi Traffic Police about anticipated traffic diversions related to the farmers’ protest on Tuesday.

The farmers’ march, led by participants from Sangrur, Punjab, is expected to involve 2,500 tractor-trolleys passing through Haryana en route to Delhi. In preparation for the protest, concrete barriers, barricades, and barbed wires have been installed at border points, and heavy police presence is observed at the Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur borders.

Despite a crucial meeting between farmers’ representatives and Union ministers on Monday, which concluded without a resolution on key demands, the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest is moving forward. 

While the Central government highlighted a consensus on most issues and proposed a committee formation for resolving others, a final agreement was not reached during the meeting.