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‘Tardy’ paddy procurement: Four-hour farmers’ blockade inconveniences commuters
Protesters say govt pushing them into crisis, private traders paying less than MSP amid govt’s ‘apathy’
Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other unions on Friday blocked several roads for four hours at many places across the state to protest against the “tardy” procurement and lifting of paddy. Commuters were inconvenienced due to the blockades. There were reports of arguments taking place between commuters and farmers. At many places, commuters had to take detour.
The protesters said that amid the “apathetic attitude” of the state and Central governments, private traders have been fleecing the farmers by offering them rates below the minimum support price.
In Doaba region, the protesters blocked the Amritsar-Ludhiana highway in Phagwara and Phillaur, Jalandhar-Pathankot highway near Dasuya besides holding protests near the Dhanowali railway crossing in Jalandhar, Garhshankar and Dosarka in Hoshiarpur. In Kapurthala, the Amritsar highway was blocked in Hamira, the Goindwal road near Mundi Maur village and the Sultanpur Lodhi road near the new grain market.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai said the Central and the state governments were for pushing the farming community into crisis. “The state government failed to make prior arrangements. The millers are unwilling to lift the crop citing paucity of storage facility. The arhtiyas have their own set of problems. The farmers have no choice other than holding dharnas,” he said.
Ludhiana district saw protests in Samrala, Khanna, Doraha, Machhiwara, Jagraon, Mullanpur and Raikot. In Maha region, SKM members staged demonstrations at Amritsar’s Bhagtanwala grain market and other places amid sloganeering against the state and Central governments. The highway was also blocked at Kukrawala near Ajnala town.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) leader Jagtar Singh Bhinder said, “Despite chief minister’s commitment, distress sale of paddy is going on. Unless fields are free of paddy, farmers can’t sow other crops.”
In Bathinda, BKU’s (Ekta Ugrahan) state general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan said the union held protests outside 11 shopping malls in 10 districts. He said the protests by the union at 51 different spots in the state entered the ninth day on Friday. SKM blocked the Mansa-Sunam road in Mansa district.
SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said, “The AAP government in Punjab and the BJP-led Central government are equally responsible for this mess. The politics of blame game should not be played at the cost of the farmers and the economy of Punjab. The state and the Centre must rise to the occasion and perform their duties honestly in the interest of the farmers and the country.”
In Phagwara, the indefinite protest by farmers under the banner of Bharti Kisan Union (Doaba) entered its fifth day. BKU(D) is a constituent of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which said on Thursday that it would block roads at a few places in the state for an indefinite period from October 26 to protest against the lapses in paddy procurement and other issues.
Notably, paddy lifting from the mandis in Punjab has been hit after the state’s rice millers refused to mill the crop till their demands were met.
To break the ice, CM Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah and urged him to address the issues facing the state’s rice millers. While Punjab’s ruling AAP has blamed the Centre for not evacuating foodgrain stock to make space for storing fresh crop, the opposition parties have lashed out at the Mann government over slow paddy procurement and lifting. (With PTI inputs)
