Tyre killers at Ggn border to stop farmers from reaching capital

Gurgaon: Police on Thursday installed automatic spike barriers, also called tyre killers, on a service lane along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway in Sirhaul to deploy if and when protesting farmers reach the spot.Farmers, who are renewing their protest less than two years after their year-long agitation, are largely restricted to Haryana’s border with Punjab in Shambhu due to multi-layered fortifications there since Feb 12. Traffic was normal on the expressway on Thursday. This portion of NH-8 is one of the busiest inter-city stretches used by 4-5 lakh vehicles on a typical weekday.“The tire killers are like speed bumps but have spikes inside them. They act as normal speed bumps for vehicles, but spikes once activated can rip holes into the tyres and stop vehicles from advancing,” a police officer said, adding that it was a preventive measure. The spikes, fitted inside a steel compartment, can be raised either through access remote control or manually. It takes around two seconds to raise them.Apart from the spike barrier on the service lane going towards the capital, Delhi Police have stationed large numbers of iron and cement barricades, concertina wires, trucks filled with soil and riot gear at the Sirhaul border to stop protesters if they reach. They have also pitched a tent at the border for police teams to keep guard round the clock.The Sirhaul border remained mostly unaffected during farmers’ 2020-21 agitation, when they had surrounded the capital and roads leading up to it. “We have made arrangements at different places on NH-8 in Rewari and Gurgaon to stop the march of protestors towards Delhi,” said the police officer quoted above.He added that Gurgaon was peaceful in the previous protest and the city is expected to remain free from any obstruction and disturbance.