CHANDIGARH: Punjab farmers blocked roads and squatted on rail tracks across the State on October 13 as a part of the protest against the alleged tardy procurement of paddy in the ongoing Kharif marketing season. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) blamed the Centre over the issue and alleged that the root cause lies with the Union Government.It has been more than twelve days since the paddy procurement began, and the commission agents and the rice millers have refused to participate in the process, despite the assurances promised by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Mann had said that he would meet the Union Consumer Affairs Minister on October 14 to flag the demands of protesting rice millers and arthiyas. He added the demands of the rice millers and commission agents were genuine and the union government must take a sympathetic view. The farmers disrupted road traffic at many places, including Samrala, Kohara, Khanna, Raikot, Doraha, Payal and Jagraon in Ludhiana.In Amritsar, farmers held road blockades at places, including Attari, and Kukrawal village near Ajnala town. They also squatted on the Wallha railway crossing and Sunam railway station in Sangrur. The Ferozepur-Ludhiana national highway was blocked near Duneke in Moga. The State rice millers and the commission agents are also supporting the farmers’ protest. Senior SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said despite assurances by the State government regarding the smooth procurement of paddy, farmers are facing problems in grain markets.A senior railway official said, “As many as 20 trains have been affected due to the protest. The Shatabdi express train (12046) was delayed by two hours in starting from the Chandigarh railway station.’’A farmer leader Parminder Singh Ugrah said the farmers have blocked the Amritsar-Pathankot rail track. The protesters also claimed that farmers’ produce was not being lifted at grain markets. While commission agents (arthiyas) are pressing for a raise in their commission, the state rice millers have raked up the issue of space crunch for storing the fresh paddy crop. The millers have also expressed concern over the out-turn ratio (post-milling yield) of the PR-126 paddy variety, claiming that it will lead to huge losses. Meanwhile, AAP leader and senior spokesperson Neel Garg said that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is deliberately not emptying the grain godowns, leading to current challenges. Garg acknowledged the farmers’ right to protest but also emphasized that the situation has arisen due to the Central Government’s policies and its neglect of Punjab. He said that even if Punjab has contributed to the central grain reserves for many years, the FCI has not emptied the warehouses, causing losses for rice millers. “This has led to a halt in the buying of new paddy,” he said.He also claimed that the Chief Minister and other ministers have engaged with the Union Agriculture Minister, who assured a solution, but the progress has been slow. The AAP Punjab government is working diligently to clear the warehouses so that new grain can be stored. Garg said that while some special trains have been initiated by the Central Government for lifting grain, the process remains sluggish. He also urged the farmers’ organizations not to stop the trains, as this could become an excuse for the Central Government for the slow pace of lifting.
Source link
