KOTKAPURA, Sept 23 — Traffic on all main roads of the town came to a halt today when paddy growers, activists of various farmers’ unions, labour unions and commission agents along with hundreds of sarpanches and panchayat members jammed traffic near the local grain market in protest against non-procurement of paddy by the agencies concerned.

Due to the jam, life in this town, comprising part of the parliamentary constituency of former Union Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, was thrown out of gear. Long queues of buses, trucks, cars and two-wheelers could be seen up to several kilometres.

Following the jam on the Kotkapura-Moga road, Kotkapura-Amritsar road, Kotkapura-Bajakhana road and Kotkapura-Muktsar road, the buses had to take to link roads and passengers were put to great hardship.

The protesters did not allow even ambulances carrying patients and injured to hospitals to ply.

They raised slogans against the Punjab Government for its failure to procure paddy. They said as per the specifications laid for procuring of paddy by the Central Government, no farmer in Punjab would be able to sell his crop to government agencies.

They alleged they had been forced to sell their crop at a rate much below the minimum support price to private traders. Now with the announcement of specifications by the government, the private traders too had refused to purchase the crop.

Due to negligible procurement of paddy in the past two days, more than four lakh bags of paddy had accumulated in the grain market.

Cotton growers, who brought their white gold to the local market had to return with their crop as they could not find space in the grain market to unload the same.

The protesters threatened they would change the mode of agitation from September 25 and intensify it further if the authorities failed to solve their problems.

Farmers in Jaitu Mandi also jammed traffic today.

FEROZEPORE: Farmers of this border district blocked traffic for almost an hour near Zira Road on Saturday.

The demonstrators charged the procurement agencies with delaying the purchase of paddy even as it continued to heap in various mandis.

Among others, Agriculture Price Commission member and senior Congress leader Gurnaib Singh Brar took part in the demonstration. Talking to TNS, he urged the farmers of Sunam, where campaigning for byelection is on to block the movement of the cavalcade of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The SDM, Mr D.P.S. Kharbanda, rushed to the site to pacify the demonstrators. The blockade was lifted after he assured the demonstrators that the administration would ensure speedy procurement by various agencies.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Kulbir Singh Sidhu, said nobody would be allowed to deliberately delay the procurement process. He said he had taken up the matter with the Secretary and Director, Food and Civil Supplies, to ensure speedy procurement as per the specifications.

FAZILKA: The procurement of paddy by government agencies did not start for the third day here on Saturday. There is a glut of paddy in the local grain market. More than two lakh quintals of paddy has piled up and roads leading to the grain market have virtually been blocked.

Mr Sohan Lal Dangorkhera, Chairman , Market Committee, urged the Punjab Government to amend the specifications and ensure speedy procurement of paddy to save farmers from harassment and ruin.

He said although officers of procuring agencies had held prolonged meetings with civil officers, they have not yet entered the market. Representatives of these agencies had taken 33 samples of paddy on Friday and got these analysed for quality specifications. All had reportedly been found below specifications. Hence, the procuring agencies had refused to make purchases.

The procuring agencies had not been provided with adequate staff, nor allocated rice mills. Mr Dangerkhera sought the intervention of the Punjab Government to save the farmers.

FARIDKOT: Over 1500 farmers, labourers and traders blocked traffic for six hours at Sadiq Chowk here and raised slogans. Mr Harjeet Singh Bholuwala, chairman, market committee, Faridkot, and a senior leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal, was present on the occasion. The protesters Gheraoed Mr Zora Singh Mann, MP Ferozepore for an hour when he was passing through this town. He was allowed to go after he said, he would resolve the issue on a priority basis.

Mr Angrez Singh, vice-president, Kisan Union, Faridkot, warned to launch indefinite dharnas from September 25 if the government took no action to redress the grievances of the farmers.