Farmers squat on railway tracks, national highways in Punjab over 'tardy' paddy procurement

Chandigarh, Oct 13 (IANS) Farmers on Sunday squatted on railway tracks and national highways at several places in Punjab as part of a protest called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha over the "tardy" procurement of paddy. 

Also, strikes by millers and 'arhtiyas' (commission agents) added to the woes of farmers, who were heading to Haryana from the state's border to sell paddy as the procurement system was well-organised there.

The farmers raised slogans against the AAP government for delay in paddy procurement and warned of intensifying protests if purchases don't speed up. Owing to the disruption of train and road networks, passengers experienced inconvenience.

The protest was held from 12 noon till 3 p.m.

The farmers also blocked the Jammu-Amritsar National Highway for three hours at several places. In Jalandhar, the farmers blocked the national highway near Dhanowali Gate, blocking the Jalandhar-Ludhiana highway. The protesters blocked the highway on both sides disrupting the traffic en route to Ludhiana, Ambala and Delhi.

Besides, the traffic going to other states like Jammu via Pathankot was also disrupted.

Responding to the protest, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab said: "The root of all issues lies with the Central government."

AAP spokesperson Neel Garg noted the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was "deliberately" not emptying the godowns, leading to challenges in storage.

Garg acknowledged the farmers' right to protest but emphasised that the situation has arisen due to the Centre's policies and its "neglect" of Punjab.

He pointed out that Punjab has contributed to the central foodgrain reserves for many years, yet the FCI has not emptied the warehouses, causing losses to the rice millers. This has led to a halt in the buying of new paddy.

He said the Chief Minister and other ministers spoke to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who assured a solution, but progress has been slow.

"While some special trains were being run for lifting paddy by the Union government, the process remains sluggish," he said.

He urged farmers' organisations not to stop the trains, as their act could give the "Central government an excuse for the slow pace of lifting".

He called on the Union government to resolve the issue promptly so that the warehouses could be cleared and all 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy could be stored.

Contrary to AAP's assertions, Punjab BJP vice-president Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa said the Centre has already disbursed funds to the state for the purchase of paddy.

"If the Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab is not able to purchase and lift the crops smoothly, then the fault lies with the state government and not the Centre," he said.