Farmers Movement Archive

After protest, farmers take Rs 2.5L from Ropar mill

Patiala: Farmers blocked the Ropar-Chandigarh highway for around two hours on Friday to protest against a local private flour mill for purchasing wheat from outside Punjab. The farmers claimed they had confiscated around 44 trucks loaded with wheat on Thursday evening that were parked near a gurdwara. Farmers under Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) claimed they had staged a protest against the flour mill on Thursday evening, but police and district administration did not take action against the mill following which the farmers’ group decided to block the highway. Farmers said wheat was being purchased at cheaper prices from UP and other states where there was no MSP and those farmers were also being exploited by being made to sell produce at the lowest prices.The farmers agitating on the highway feared their wheat produce would not be procured if the private millers in Punjab will purchase wheat from outside Punjab. However, the district officials in Ropar said there would be no effect on farmers’ wheat procurement as it had no direct or indirect link with the procurement process in grain markets of Punjab or commission agents. “In the previous season, we sold our produce at lower prices after the millers refused to take more stock than their limits as they had already purchased the produce from outside Punjab. On Thursday, we confiscated these trucks near the flour mill and staged a protest but all in vain. Thus, we blocked the highway at 11.30am and lifted the protest at 1.30pm after getting an assurance from the district mandi officer over action in this regard,” said Daleep Singh, SKM leader and a member of Kulhind Kisan Sabha farmer union. Later, the agitating farmers struck a compromise with the flour mill owner who paid Rs 2.5 lakh as social fund for the farmers. The district administration acted as a negotiator to get the matter resolved. DMO Bhajan Kaur said that the trucks loaded with wheat produce were sent back, however no penalty or action could be taken against the flour mill owner as there was no illegality. She said the farmer leaders demanded fund for their morcha and the flour mill owner had agreed to pay Rs 2.5 lakh as social fund to the farmers. “The flour mill owner agreed to send the wheat-loaded trucks back to the traders outside Punjab. He also agreed to purchase wheat from the local mandis of Punjab and gave a social fund of Rs 2.5 lakh for the welfare of farmers.” SKM leader Daleep Singh said, “The flour mill owner met our demands, including payment of Rs 2.5 lakh as social fund for farmers. We will spend a major portion of this fund on purchase of necessary items like fans required at our agitation site on Delhi borders while some of the amount we may decide to meet the requirements of our union in relation with the protest.” However, SKM’s senior leaders condemned the move of taking money from the mill owner. Jagjit Singh Dallewal said such action of taking any social fund after protest would let down the farmers’ agitation. He said that farmers’ protest was justified as local arhtiyas used to take cheaper produce from traders outside Punjab via local flour millers and then show the purchase in name of Punjab farmers’ to mint money over MSP. BKU Ekta Dakaunda leader Jagmohan Singh termed the social fund move as corruption.

The Times of India

2021-04-10

Chandigarh