Farmer unions block Ludhiana-Chandigarh road
Farmer unions, including the Rajewal and Lakhowal group, today blocked the Ludhiana-Chandigarh road from 11 am to 3 pm in protest against what they described was the indifferent attitude of the Centre as well as the state government as far as lifting of paddy was concerned.
The BKU (Lakhowal) group was led by its patron Avtar Singh Mehlon and president Harinder Singh Lakhowal while BKU (Rajewal) group was led by its president Balbir Singh Rajewal.
“Crop procurement and lifting of paddy do not seem to be on the agenda of the government at all. Mandis are flooded with produce as 98 per cent of it is still waiting to be lifted. We have no option but to bring our produce but the agony begins as we enter the mandis with our hard-earned harvest. All assurances have come to naught. We fail to understand why the government sleeps over such issues which if not resolved can reach an alarming stage. It seems that none of the governments, either at the state or at the Centre, are really interested in the early resolution of our problem. Farmers’ homes, fields and mandis are brimming over with produce. There is no more space to adjust it. The arhtiyas are in no mood to purchase due to the gap between the prices. There is a complete lockdown it seems and the entire process has come to a standstill,” said the protestors.
“The lack of space to store the stock has complicated the situation and if it is not resolved in time, the coming days shall be problematic for each and every section of society,” said the protestors. “The hybrid varieties, sown with the intent to save water, have proved to be detrimental to the interests of farmers,” the farmer leaders said. “The Central Government has acted as a villain in the entire game as it has refused to accept the comparatively reduced yield of the hybrid varieties, seemingly causing loss to the farmers at large,” the protesters added.
“The state government has failed to initiate talks with the Centre on the issue and failed to convey the existing problems of all three sections involved in the process. If prompt government action is not assured, the problem can assume grave proportions as the farmers will be forced to block rail and road traffic permanently. It is not a joke. The governments will have to relent and purchase and lift every single grain and assure the farmers, arhtiyas as well as millers of their due. Otherwise, the 1920-21 agitation shall be repeated in its original form, the protestors warned collectively.
When contacted, SHO, Koom Kalan, Jagdeep Singh said, “We were able to overcome the traffic congestion tactfully. We immediately diverted the traffic through the alternative routes so that commuters do not have to face the protestors’ wrath. As we had anticipated the situation beforehand, we began to divert the traffic. The ones coming from Chandigarh side were diverted from Neelon towards Doraha and those from Ludhiana towards Kohara and Sahnewal. Traffic congestion always takes time to clear but with planned execution, the traffic congestion was brought under control quickly,” he added.
