Angered over non-purchase of paddy, farmers block traffic

Farmers staged a protest by blocking traffic in Bhaangala town on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway in the afternoon. They were expressing their anger over the non-purchase of paddy in mandis.

Farmer leaders said that under the aegis of Pagdi Sambhal Jatta Lahar Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, traffic was blocked on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway in the afternoon. They said that till the Punjab government accepts the demands of farmers and commission agents and purchases their paddy crop, the protest will continue.

Talking to media persons, the farmer leaders said that ever since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has been formed in Punjab, it had only pushed the farmers to their limits. He said that the paddy crop has fully ripened, but no concrete steps are being taken by the government to purchase it. Because of this, the sheller owners are also buying at a slow pace. He said that the farmers were already in loss and due to non-purchase of paddy, their problems were only increasing. Till adequate arrangements are made for the purchase of paddy, the protest will continue.

SDM, Mukerian, Ashwini Arora and DFC Satvir Singh also reached the spot and assured the farmers that their paddy will be purchased and urged the farmers to lift their dharna but they had not relented when last reports came in.