Farmers stage dharna, demand compensation for crop loss

Tribune Reporters

Amritsar, September 22

Farmers under the banner of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha staged a demonstration outside the DC office demanding compensation for the flood-affected farmers here on Friday.

Farmer leaders Jora Singh and Balkar Singh demanded that the Centre and the state government should release compensation of Rs 1.70 lakh and Rs 60,000 per acre, respectively, to affected farmers. Those who lost livestock due to the floods should be given compensation to the tune of Rs 1 lakh per animal.

Other farmer leaders Nishan Singh and Jatinder Singh said if their demands were not accepted, the farmers would be forced to lay siege to the houses of Central and state ministers.

The sit-in was lifted after the protesting farmers submitted a memorandum of demands to Additional Deputy Commissioner Vivek Kumar who assured them to forwarding it to the

government.

Meanwhile, the farmer unions associated with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and activists of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) staged separate dharnas in front of the District Administrative Complex (DAC) in Tarn Taran district on Friday. They were demanding the resolution of the issues of the flood-affected farmers and raised the issues of other farmers.

Addressing on the occasion, Daljit Singh Dialpura, Nachhattar Singh and Balkar Singh Valtoha were among others who condemned the Centre and the state government for not releasing sufficient compensation to the affected farmers.

The leaders said there were countless farmers who would not be able to cultivate the next crop as their fields still were filled with sand and silt and removing the deposits was from their fields was not easy. A delegation of the morcha leaders submitted a memorandum to the Tarn Taran SDM Rajnish Arora.

Activists of the Bharti Kisan Union (U) staged a dharna under the leadership of Gurbaj Singh Sidhwan, district president of the union. Sidhwan said the compensation announced by the state government was not only insufficient but also a cruel joke on the farmers as with this relief they would not be able to bear the cost of paddy plantation on one acre of land. The union also submitted a memorandum to officials and warned the state government that in case their demands were not accepted, they would be forced to intensify their agitation.