Protest over tardy lifting in Fazilka grain market

Fazilka, October 12

Fazilka MLA Davinder Singh Ghubaya, his father and former MP Sher Singh Ghubaya and their supporters today gheroaed the office of Deputy Commissioner Arvind Pal Singh Sandhu and blocked the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway, demanding the cancellation of the tender of the contractor for tardy lifting of paddy from the grain market.

They raised slogans against the administration for its alleged failure in lifting the produce promptly and preventing inconvenience to farmers. The MLA alleged that they met the Deputy Commissioner and District Food and Supplies Controller Gurpreet Singh Kang several times, but to no avail.

He said the contractor violated the contract norms by pressing tractor-trailers into service to lift the produce. No commercial vehicle could be used to ferry the crop other than trucks, he added.

Commission agents led by their president Om Setia and former Fazilka Congress MLA Dr Mohinder Kumar Rinwa also sat on a dharna, demanding to speed up the lifting process. After the protests, the administration allowed tractor-trailers to lift the paddy from the grain market to clear the glut. — OC