The recent temporary closure of the Haryana-Punjab interstate Shambhu border not only caused inconvenience to commuters, who were forced to take alternative routes, but also triggered panic among traders and businessmen in Ambala, who are still recovering from the heavy losses suffered during the prolonged border closure in the past.
Farmer unions under the banner of the Desh Bachao Morcha have launched a nationwide movement against the India-US trade deal.
As part of the agitation, the Punjab farmers who were on their way to attend a Mahapanchayat in Delhi on July 21 were stopped by the Haryana Police at the Shambhu border after barricades were installed and the border was completely sealed recently.
The sealing of the interstate border for several hours revived the painful memories of the trading community. During the farmers’ Delhi Chalo agitation in February 2024, the border remained closed for more than a year, severely affecting business in Ambala.
The market, with an estimated annual turnover of over Rs 2,000 crore, suffered a drop in sales after the Shambhu border was closed, as a large number of customers come from Punjab. Due to the tense situation, the customers from Chandigarh and some other states began avoiding visits to Ambala.
As sales declined drastically, people found it difficult to keep their businesses afloat and were forced to reduce their workforce.
Viplove Singla, businessman and president of the Jan Jagriti Sansthan, said, “The traders and businessmen in Ambala suffered heavily during the last agitation when the borders remained closed for over a year. The government should stop taking the protests lightly and also avoid delaying a resolution. We all saw what happened during the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar, as after all the protests and police action, the government eventually had to accept the demands.”
“The public is aware of how things unfold. We just request the government not to let resentment build up and force the farmers to launch a large-scale agitation. It should listen to their grievances sympathetically and resolve them in time. Closing the border is not a solution; rather, it will increase the trouble. The traders and businessmen of Ambala are still recovering from the previous losses, and if there is another such agitation, they may not be able to recover this time,” he said.
Gunnu Bhatia, president of the Wholesale Cloth Merchant Association, said, “The cloth and maniyari markets are a major source of revenue generation and employment in Ambala City. The closure of the Shambhu border is nothing short of a disaster for us. There are about 1,500 shops providing employment to thousands of people. It is not that other cities do not have good shops, but the cloth market of Ambala offers a wide variety for every customer. A major portion of Ambala’s clientele comes from other districts of Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh.”
“Since the majority of customers reach here on a tight schedule, after taking leave from work to shop for special occasions, they do not want to get caught in traffic jams and navigate unfamiliar village routes. Once a customer, including a small retailer, starts going to other towns, it is not easy to bring them back. The wholesalers and retailers here have already lost customers due to the previous blockade. The market is in no position to suffer a similar disruption again,” he said.
Similarly, Rakesh Makkar, past president of the Ambala Electrical Dealers Association, said, “Ambala’s market caters to customers from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Rajasthan. There are around 70 wholesalers involved in the electrical goods business and around 250 other electrical shops. The sales had declined drastically and people found it difficult to pay salaries and bills during the last agitation.”
“The market is already facing a tough time due to the rising prices of electrical products and stiff competition. A large number of clients have already shifted to Delhi and other markets as they do not want their supply chains to be disrupted again. The traders and dealers do not want to face a similar situation again and when the Shambhu border was closed once again, there was a sense of panic among them. Fortunately, it was reopened the same day, but the government should take some positive steps at the earliest to resolve the issues,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tejveer Singh, spokesman of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), said, “The farmers wanted to go to Delhi to raise their concerns with the government and on both occasions in 2024 and now in 2026, it was the government that closed the interstate border. We have been raising the concerns of all sectors.”
“The farmer unions announce their programmes well in advance and request the government to hold discussions, but it is the government’s responsibility to call the unions for talks and not create such situations. A large number of traders and businessmen associated with different political parties are part of their respective cells and they should also raise these issues at their party meetings. The farmers are consumers too and have no intention of disrupting the markets,” he said.