Delhi braces for stir after late push to resolve crisis

Security forces on Monday placed rows of metal barricades, put in shipping containers, lined the streets with concertina wires, and dug up trenches at Delhi's fringes, as the Capital's borders turned fortresses a day before farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh planned to march into the city, even as talks between protesters and Union ministers hit a dead-end after hours of parleys.

- Karn Pratap Singh, Gurpreet Singh Nibber and Bhavey Nagpal

As the meeting ended past 11pm on Monday, farm leaders confirmed the protest would continue, and that farmers from the three states would resume their march to the Capital at 10am on Tuesday.

The dense security blanket is likely to lead to traffic chaos and significantly immobilise millions of commuters looking to travel between Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad, especially once farmers converge at the Capital's Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur border points on Tuesday afternoon, even as the Delhi Police enforced prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), severely restricting movement and public gatherings.

Farmers from 200 organisations and unions, meanwhile, off from thei atop trucks and tractors and charged towards Delhi, defying curbs imposed by governments and police forces, with some protesters ramming down barricades with their vehicles.

Authorities responded by deploying dozens of companies of paramilitary and police forces to keep farmers from leaving their states.

Union agriculture minister Arjun Munda, speaking after the meeting, said the government was still open to talks with the farmers.

"We are hopeful of an early resolution," said Munda.

"We offered to constitute a committee to resolve all pending issues," he added.

Kisan Mazdo Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, who was one of the two farm leaders who led the meeting, said, "The Centre doesn't appear serious at meeting our demands. We will start the march towards the Capital at 10 am on Tuesday."

"The government has time to call us again for talks till that time," he, however, added.