Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers protest against Haryana govt's order of 'banning paddy procurement from other states'

MEERUT: Farmers from Shamli and nearby areas are protesting Haryana government’s order of banning procurement of paddy crops from other states, including Uttar Pradesh. The protest, continuing for the past one week, is causing inconvenience to commuters on the national highway along the UP-Haryana border near Bidoli. The police had to intervene every time a traffic jam was reported but the farmers maintained that they would continue with their efforts as they had been selling their crops in Haryana’s Karnal mandi for decades. According to eyewitnesses, the Haryana police has placed a barricade at the Bidoli border and all the commuters are allowed to pass but only farmers with their tractor-trolleys have been stopped for the past 10 days. Whenever the farmers tried to cross over they were asked to go back. They would then sit on the highway as a mark of protest causing traffic snarls. “The Haryana police placed barricades at the border and only farmers are being stopped. We have been selling our crops in Karnal mandi for decades and now they are stopping us. Not a single representative from the UP government has tried to resolve the issue,” said Master Jahid, regional vice-president, BKU. He added the UP and Haryana governments must set up temporary grain markets on the borders so that farmers could sell their harvest every season and such bans on farmer’s entry to mandis must be lifted immediately. Anil Kumar, SSI Jhinjhana police station, told TOI that Haryana police has placed barricades on the border and are not allowing farmers to cross. "We request farmers to clear roads whenever the traffic jam is reported due to their protest," he added. Satpal Singh, in-charge of Manglore police outpost in Haryana, said the police have written orders from the state government to not let paddy farmers enter Haryana. “Its not that all the paddy crops are being denied entry. We are letting farmers with basmati and other rich varieties pass the border. Only those crops under the MSP are being stopped,” he added.

The Times of India

2021-10-22

Meerut