Farmers Movement Archive

Farm group to Punjab govt: ‘Pay for straw management or fields will be on fire’

BARNALA: Farmer outfit BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) organised a massive “chetawani” (warning) rally in Barnala on Sunday, as it asked the state government to provide a compenstion of Rs 5,000 per acre for managing crop residue and cancellation of stubble burning cases registered in previous years. It announced that if the compensation was not provided for crop residue management, farmers would be forced to burn paddy straw and would not let anyone stop them from setting their fields on fire. The other demands, addressed to the Punjab government and raised by the farm group, included: compenstion for cotton growers whose crop suffered in the latest pink bollworm pest attack in Punjab, expanding the benefit of government job for kin of people who have died in the ongoing farm agitation, no limit on purchase of paddy as is being announced, and taking back the condition of submitting land records for selling paddy in grain markets. The farm group said the Punjab government should offer jobs to kin of protesters who had died since June 5, 2020, when the three farm ordinances were passed and not the present November 26, 2020, when farm groups launched ‘Dilli Chalo’. Though demands for repeal of farm laws and sacking of Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra too were raised, the rally was organised for demands pertaining to the state government. Leaders of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha also participated in the rally. BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) state president Jagjit Singh Dallewal, while addressing the rally, said though farmers were more concerned about their fight against the central farm laws, they were also concerned about issues in the domain of state government. “We want state government to provide fair compensation for cotton crop loss without wasting time. The government must provide compensation and a job to kin of farmers who have died during protests as was promised and provide compensation for stubble managing or we will burn it,” he said, adding that the state government should not feel farmers might have forgotten demands pertaining to the state. BKU general secretary Yudhvir Singh, however, targetted the central government. He said BJP leaders must recall the time of 2011-12 when it had raised a voice against proposals of restructuring mandi system and opposed contract farming, saying it has caused losses to farmers in Europe. “Now they must answer how then black proposals have turned white now. This government has waived debt of several lakh crores of corporates, but has no money for farmers. In 2016, it was found that farmer suicides have increased by 42% and BJP government tried to gag the data,” he added. He said though Congress was the same, it was somewhat better.

The Times of India

2021-10-11

Chandigarh