Paddy procurement: Farmers block Jalandhar-Phillaur national highway for 3 hours

On the call of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha, farmers' organisations staged a three-hour dharna on the Phillaur National Highway, during which traffic on the Jalandhar-Phillaur highway remained paralysed.

Long queues of vehicles piled up on the highway as people waited for the road to be cleared. Serpentine queues of vehicles waited the lifting of dharna for hours in the lack of an alternate diversion for transport.

The dharna was held to ensure the purchase of paddy and to protest problems being faced by farmers in the lifting of their paddy crop at mandis.

Farmer leaders said the paddy crop was languishing in the markets due to a lack of lifting even as produce piled up.

State leaders of Kirti Kisan Union Santokh Singh Sandhu and Gurkanwal Singh; Jamhuri Kisan Sabha's Jaswinder Singh; Bharti Kisan Union Rajewal's Baljit Singh Mahal; Bharti Kisan Union Kadian's Jatinder Singh; Arhtiyas Association Punjab's Gulshan; Sheller Union President Ashok Kumar; and Pendu Mazdoor Union's Jarnail Singh Phillaur addressed farmers.

Addressing the protesters, Jathedar Kashmir Singh Jandiala from BKU Rajewal said, “For the past 17 days, no lifting has taken place, due to which farmers are harried. We want to tell the Centre and state governments that we will not sit still until our demands are met. Further action will be announced as per SKM's decision."

Farmers said last year's crop of rice (130 lakh MT) and wheat (50 lakh MT) has not yet been cleared from warehouses and sheds. For the current paddy crop, the issue of lifting was required to be resolved by March 31 or at the latest by May 31; however, it has not been resolved yet.

They said, on the other hand, that Centre was deliberately meting out stepmotherly treatment to state by delaying the lifting of the old purchased material.

Surinder Singh, who was travelling towards a village in Phillaur, said, "I have been waiting for two hours. Alternative routes should have been announced in view of the dharna today.”

Another man heading to a wedding said, "Even if their demands are valid, a thought should at least be spared to the trouble being posed to people. The administration should also make adequate arrangements beforehand. I am with my family and we have small kids. By the time we reach the event, it will be over."