Now probably the most well-known flyover in Punjab, the Piriyana Overpass in Ferozepur district got here up simply six months again. It isn’t impressed by the requirements of its metropolis counterparts, all 600 meters and has been constructed by the National Highways Authority of India at a value of Rs 4 crore. But it was right here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was caught for greater than 20 minutes on January 5, a small stretch on the Ludhiana-Firozpur highway with 10-12 retailers on one aspect and the village of Piyarena in the midst of it. BJP’s election speech.
The most anticipated motion within the area was on the PGI Satellite Centre, about 9 km away, the place the PM was to go to that day after paying homage on the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala. One of the explanations for the development of the flyover was to fulfill the anticipated visitors development after the disclosing of the PGI centre.
Shuminder Pal Singh Matharu, who runs a workshop for repairing agricultural tools on one aspect of the flyover, says that he didn’t open his store that day. “I stay within the close by village of Saeede-ke-Hasham. The retailers had been closed that day as a result of rain. We didn’t anticipate any enterprise due to the PM’s rally (to be held after the inauguration of the PGI centre).
Matharu says that the information of the PM being stopped from dharna was stunning, although he isn’t absolutely conscious. “Pehlaan kadi flyover te dharna nahi lagda si. Pehli var lagya si. hun sab pyarena hello google karde ne (There was no picket at this place earlier. This was the primary time. Now, everybody googles pyarena).
The dharna was organized by the BKU (Revolutionary) Farmers’ Union. Jatinder Singh from Wazirpur, one other close by village and member of BKU (Revolutionary), says: “That day, a few of our members had come from Zira (about 40 km away). I used to be not on the protest website.” Singh says that the Sangh had called for a protest at the district headquarters and was marching there. “But the police did not allow them to proceed, so they staged a dharna where they were stopped. The same thing happened in many other places as well,” he stated, including, “So far, as I know, no police action has been taken against anyone.”
Another farmer chief Gurmeet Singh provides a second to Mehma Singh. “The farmers needed to go to the district commissioner’s workplace. It was determined that if we had been stopped, we’d stage a dharna on the similar place. So the dharna began on the flyover.
Mehma says that in her 12 months of protest in opposition to agricultural legal guidelines, the flyover was by no means constructed. “We held the third pucca dharna at Reliance Petrol Pump on Zira Road, outdoors the warehouse of a company home close to Sappanwali village and on the Faridkot-Firozpur highway. During the decision for Bharat Bandh or Punjab Bandh, we blocked the highway at No. 7 octroi chowki close to Firozpur Cantonment space. But we by no means considered this flyover.
Pierena, a small village of about 2,500 individuals, about 1,200-1,300 voters and center and marginal farmers, is getting used to its 20 minutes of fame. “No one from the village had gone to the dharna site or rally, but the name of the village is being known,” says Balbir Singh of Badhni Jaimal Singh village, adjoining to Piarena.
Some elders within the surrounding villages keep in mind the time nearly 5 a long time in the past when Pierena’s greatest try at defamation befell. The bust of a counterfeit foreign money led officers to the shocking discovery of a printing machine within the village – outstanding sufficient to have grow to be a narrative that has been handed down by way of generations.
As allegations of Khalistani conspiracy are made, Jatinder Singh recollects the worth the village paid for terrorism. “Earlier, we had majority Mahajans and Pandits, however they regularly moved out of cities or Punjab from right here. Now there’s a blended Sikh-Hindu inhabitants,” says Jatinder, “it’s a quiet village.”
Shuminder Pal says: “Villages are peace loving, however generally ladies even query politicians for distributing liquor to voters. So though they don’t seem to be wealthy, they’re conscious.”
And he doesn’t welcome what’s being stated about flyovers. He stated, ‘I want no dharna was organized right here once more. It was not deliberate on the positioning even on January 5. But when the dharna began, very quickly somebody organized a tea-pakoda langar and everybody got here to have meals. Langar is for everybody,” Pal motive.
Pappu Mistry, who runs a puncture store close to the flyover, says that autos are once more operating down the flyover. More autos means it might probably anticipate greater than its regular 15-20 buyer base in a day. He says life is sort of “normal” now. About. “I keep hearing the name Pierena on television.”
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
