Haridwar, Aug. 22 -- Farmers marching towards Dehradun on Thursday to stage a protest against the installation of smart electronic meters were stopped by police at Bahadrabad, where heavy security was deployed to prevent them from reaching the state capital. Acting on their pre-announced programme, farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait) had started assembling in Roorkee earlier in the day before proceeding towards the Haridwar-Dehradun National Highway in jeeps, tractors and two-wheelers. However, a large contingent of police personnel, including the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), was stationed at Bahadrabad toll plaza to block the movement. BKU (Tikait) office bearers accused the state government and local administration of suppressing their right to protest. "We were peacefully heading towards Dehradun but police stopped us midway at Bahadrabad. Our agitation will continue. Farmers are being neglected and suppressed. Our national leaders will soon take a major decision in this regard," said BKU (Tikait) district president Vijay Shastri. "We oppose the government's move to install so-called smart meters. Most farmers are already under debt. Their problems are compounded by delays in payment of sugarcane support prices and neglect of agricultural issues. So we had decided to gherao the Urja Nigam office in Dehradun and stage a bigger protest," said BKU (Tikait) Garhwal division president Sanjay Chaudhary. "These meters will overcharge consumers, as many cases are already coming to light. Instead of imposing additional costs, the government should provide concessions and waivers on power and water supply meant for irrigation," Shastri added. However, superintendent of Rural police Shekhar Chandra Suyal said that the rally was not allowed to proceed as it would have led to a traffic congestion on the highway. "We urged them to hand over a memorandum so that we can forward it to state government and higher concerned authorities." "As some of the farmers tried to break the barrier, police personnel ensured they don't do so and we stopped them going ahead. We held meeting with BKU Tikait representatives who agreed to retreat," he added....