New Delhi: After talks with the government broke down in January, a video of an air-conditioned tractor trolley equipped with solar-powered battery offers an insight into how farmers protesting at Delhi’s borders are preparing for the long haul.
In Delhi, temperatures are expected to go well beyond 40 degrees during the summer months. The average maximum temperature recorded in Delhi this February was the second highest since 1901, officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.
The air-conditioned trolley, which is currently getting the finishing touches in Punjab, also comes with internet connectivity, surveillance cameras, and solar panels placed on the roof.
“A solar system has been installed on the top of the trolley to counter government power disconnection threats,” says a man, who is sitting in a sample trolley on the border.
Farmers protesting at Singhu had already converted their tractors-trolleys into mini-homes — complete with beds, blankets, music system, groceries, water and other essentials.
After the violence on Republic Day, the police had stepped up barricading at the three protest sites—Singhi, Tikri and Ghazipur—by using concertina wires to cover vast stretches and metal spikes on the roads leading to the sites. The barricading has cut off access for farmers to portable toilets and also hit water supply.
There have been 11 rounds of talks between the government and protesting farmer organizations so far. After the last meeting on January 22, federal Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who is leading the government in the talks, had alleged there were certain forces that wanted the agitation to continue.
Source: indianexpress.com