DW BUREAU / chandigarh Businesses remained unaffected in Punjab and Haryana on Friday during the "Bharat Vyapar Bandh" called by trader unions, with many saying though they supported the cause, they could not afford to down shutters. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Thursday had said all commercial markets across the country will remain closed on February 26 in view of its 'Bharat Bandh' call demanding a review of the provisions of the goods and services tax (GST) regime. The CAIT had said dharnas (protests) would be held nationwide at 1,500 places to urge the Centre, state governments and the GST Council to keep in abeyance the "draconian" provisions of GST. In Punjab's Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran, shops and commercial establishments remained functional as usual and the impact of the bandh was not seen. All markets in Amritsar, including the cycle markets at Railway Road, Ram Bagh area, cloth market inside the walled city and even the wholesale and retail medicine markets, were operational.Manish Arora, who runs a blanket and shawl business in the walled city area of Amritsar, said he saw no impact of any kind due to the bandh call. Some market associations in the city, however, said though they supported the cause of the bandh, they could not afford to shut shop as they were already reeling under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.There was no impact of the bandh in Haryana's Ambala and Kurukshetra as well. All major commercial centres and markets remained open. The sarafa (jewellery) market, grain market, wholesale cloth market and other commercial institutions in Ambala functioned as usual. Marking the completion of three months of farmers' protest against the three Central farms laws on the borders of Delhi, hundreds of Kisan Congress activists on Friday staged a protest outside Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar's residence here demanding that the three farm laws be repealed.Scores of Kisan Congress activists led by its Vice Chairman Surendra Solanki assembled outside the residence of Tomar in central Delhi's Krishna Menon Marg, banging utensils. The Kisan Congress workers also carried placards demanding the repealing of the three farm laws.Addressing the Kisan Congress workers, Solanki said, "The government has been sleeping for the last three months despite the fact that the thousands of farmers from several states are camping on the borders of the national capital." "Since day one of the farmers' protest, we have been camping with the farmers at the borders. Ever since the three black farm laws were discussed, the Kisan Congress has stood with the farmers and staged protest against the three farm laws," he said. Solanki added that till date, more than 200 farmers have died while protesting across the country, but the government is yet to listen to the plight of the farmers. Till the time the government doesn't repeal the three farm laws, Kisan Congress will stand in solidarity with the farmers on the borders of the national capital," he added. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police detained several Kisan Congress workers from the protest site before releasing them hours later. (editor@dailyworld.in)