— Photo: pti/Kamal Kishore

TAKING TO ARMS: A Meena youth brandishes a country-made pistol at a meeting of their community at Mehndipur Balaji in Rajasthan on Friday.

JAIPUR: Even as major roads connecting Rajasthan with the rest of the country remained blocked on the fourth day of the Gujjar agitation on Friday, the State Government restarted traffic on the Jaipur-Delhi National Highway-8 with the help of the Army.

Six columns of the Army guarding the 110-km-long "difficult stretch" of NH-8 have cleared the roadblocks put up by the Gujjars, mainly near Kotputli and Shahpura, and provided security to vehicles and travellers.

Principal Secretary, Home, V.S. Singh told reporters here that while the Army was patrolling the entire stretch, buses and jeeps were being sent in groups of six to eight, along with the pilot vehicles of paramilitary forces, to restore confidence among the travellers.

"Traffic on the Jaipur-Delhi highway will be absolutely normal by Saturday morning," Mr. Singh said. But the Jaipur-Agra highway was still blocked with the Gujjars staging a dharna near trouble-torn Dausa keeping on road the bodies of those killed in Tuesday's police firing. Traffic was plying normally in the Jaipur-Jodhpur and Jaipur-Bikaner sections.

Trains cancelled

A large number of trains starting from Rajasthan or crossing the State have been cancelled, rescheduled or diverted following extensive damage to the track. Thousands of passengers were stranded at railway stations and bus stands with no proper arrangement for food or lodging.

The disruption of road and railway traffic has severely affected tourism in the Golden Triangle circuit comprising Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. According to reports received here, tourists stranded at various places were waiting endlessly for lifting of blockades. Most of the foreign tourists have cancelled their visit to the desert State.

Loss of business due to the disruption in the container movement to western parts of the country is estimated to run into crores of rupees, while exports from the State have also been affected. Those travelling between Agra and Jaipur have to go via Agra, spending at least six hours more in the sweltering heat.

Shoot-at-sight orders

Mr. Singh said shoot-at-sight orders against rioters had been issued in Sawai Madhopur and Dhaulpur districts and at Bayana in Bharatpur district following the death of four persons in a clash between the Gujjar and Meenas at Lalsot. The directive would remain in force till June 7.

The Principal Secretary said 30 Army columns had been deployed in 10 troubled districts — Dausa, Karauli, Jaipur Rural, Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Alwar, Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar — and on all national highways. Besides, 3,500 personnel of paramilitary forces were patrolling various towns.

While the Rajasthan University postponed examinations on Friday and Saturday, the State Public Service Commission deferred the screening tests for college lecturers scheduled for Sunday.

Appeal for peace

Governor Pratibha Patil and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje condoled the deaths and appealed to the people to maintain peace. In a statement, Ms. Raje said the State Government was "always open to talks" and assured justice to all sections.

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