Locals forced to cross sewer canal and walk for hours at Singhu border amid heightened security

New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): With barricades strategically placed one after another and heavy deployment of police personnel across the entire stretch, travelling through the Singhu border is a nightmare for locals, even for those in need.
There are a total of six barricades, cemented blockades with spikes and concertina wires being placed to restrict lucid mobility of the farmers as well as the intensifying security.
People who need to cross the protest site and come towards Delhi or vice versa are being forced to walk through the Singhula Village, a canal known as 'ganda-nala', and then walk for few more kilometres to reach Tikri.
On the other side even after crossing the sewer canal, they need to walk for a few km before getting the assistance of auto-rickshaws.
People while crossing the canal told ANI that earlier, since the protest started, they faced difficulties, but since the last few days, the toil is more as a road which took 15 minutes to cross is now taking at least one and a half-hour more.

Kamlesh, 29, a serviceman said, "I am coming from Piproli village. I have to go to Delhi urgently for some official work. The bus dropped me at Panipat. I have taken the help of cycles and autos to reach till here. Now I have to walk a few more km before I can avail buses going to Delhi. Overall our trouble remains unaddressed because we are commoners."
"We are walking regularly for the last two months. Earlier it used to take barely 15 minutes from the border but now it takes at least one or one and a half-hour to reach Tikri," expressed Chandan Kumar, 25, who works in Kundli.
An ailing Punita informed that she had to get few things from her relatives staying at Panipat and she will be coming back with her mother at around 5:30-6:00 pm in the evening.
"The very thought of taking her with me and crossing this canal and walking all the way scares me a lot. It's so much risky because there is no light and the ways leading to the pitched road is extremely narrow," said Punita.

The administration has intensified the security at all the borders leading to national capital following the violence on January 26 that witnessed barricade-breaking, teargas firing and lathi charge at various spots in Delhi.
Since then, normal movement at the borders has been severely restricted including barring media from entering the protest site. (ANI)