Chandigarh, Dec 6 (IANS) The Haryana government has announced a temporary suspension of mobile internet and bulk SMS services in parts of Ambala district until December 9 midnight. The decision comes in light of a planned farmers' march to Delhi from Punjab’s Shambhu border via Haryana.  Officials on Friday stated that the suspension is aimed at maintaining peace and public order in the region.

More than 100 farmers are set to march towards the national capital, demanding legal guarantees for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops, debt waivers, pensions for farmers and agricultural labourers, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act. To prevent disruptions, the Haryana Police have tightened security at the Ambala-Delhi border with multilayered barricades at the Shambhu border on National Highway 44 and have also deployed water cannons.

The Ambala administration has enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons in the district. The administration has closed all government and private schools in the district. Ambala Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria said: “We have made adequate security arrangements. We have appealed to the farmers to maintain law and order. They have been told to obtain permission from the Delhi police for their march. We will allow them to proceed only if they have the required permissions.”

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher highlighted that the protest has reached its 297th day, with an indefinite hunger strike.“The protest has entered its 297th day and the indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border has entered its 11th day. At 1 pm, a ‘jatha’ of 101 farmers will move towards Delhi from the Shambhu Border,” farmer leader Pandher said. The farmers’ earlier attempts to march to Delhi on February 13 and 21 were thwarted by heavy security at the Punjab-Haryana border. Since then, farmers under the banners of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been staging protests at these border points.

/IANS