New Delhi, January 06:
Farmers at Singhu border launched a massive exercise on Tuesday to cover all the tents with waterproof plastic sheets following rains in the city. Large bamboo sticks and iron pipes were brought to the border with hundreds of waterproof tarpaulin sheets to cover the tents. Farmers said a mega tent is also being set up at the centre stage from where the leaders address the protesters every day.
As light rains were witnessed in parts of the national capital on Monday and Tuesday, many tents at Singhu border where farmers have been staying since November 26 last year collapsed, while some started leaking. Many of these tents had to be dismantled and re-erected.
On Tuesday, labourers were climbing atop the tents tying huge tarpaulin sheets around them by erecting bamboo sticks and iron pipes around them to make the tents withstand strong winds and shower. The labourers had been brought in by the gurudwara committees from various parts of Delhi. The tarpaulin sheets, commonly known as tirpaal, were either donated by people or bought by these committees.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), said all material required for waterproofing tents were brought at the border on Monday, as soon as the weather changed.
“The tents have been covered with plastic sheets. These provide insulation as well as water slides down without entering the tents. Separate waterproof tents have also been set up for women. In the evening, we also brought in more mattresses and blankets as it is getting colder,” Sirsa said.
Harinder Singh Lakhowal, general secretary, Bharatiya Kisan Union, Ludhiana, said they also announced from the central stage on Tuesday that anyone who needs a tarpaulin can get it. “We have asked for more waterproofing material. It is also expected that the weather will improve by Wednesday afternoon,” he said.
On the farmers’ next move, Lakhowal said on January 7, they will conduct a rehearsal rally in which tractors will move from Singhu to Tikri and from Tikri to Singhu, on the Haryana side and similarly between Ghazipur border and Palwal. “This is just a rehearsal for our massive rally planned for Republic Day when hundreds of tractors will participate in a national rally,” Lakhowal said.
As it rained again on Tuesday, buckets, tubs or utensils had been placed in most tents which had started leaking. The rainwater was later used for washing utensils and for laundry.
Sardar Singh, 53, a farmer from Ropar, said the roof of their tent had loosened as rain water got accumulated over it. “Before it fell, we had to remove it and now the cloth is being replaced with plastic sheet. We reassembled our tent where as many as 100 people sleep every night. The tarpaulin will not only stop rain but will also keep us warm. They are also fire-resistant,” he said.
Those sleeping in tractor trolleys also covered both ends of the trolley with plastic sheets. They said it worked best to stop strong winds from blowing away the bedsheets that they had been using so far to cover the trolleys in order to keep themselves warm during the nights.
Farmers had also used the plastic sheets to cover piles of wood that they to cook meals at langars. “Our woods are all wet. We had ration covered in time but the woods lie in the open and they are wet now. Tarpaulin are being used to cover the ration and places of langars are also being converted into covered set ups so that whether it is rain or cold wave, our langars do not stop,” said another farmer, Satnam Singh.
