Farmers seek nod for protest march

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 23

Hundreds of farmers and their families today continued their protest against the state government despite the rain that lashed the region throughout the day.

Besides other demands, including complete loan waiver, the farmers are up in arms against the government’s reported proposal to meter the power supplied to the farm sector.

“The Congress government wants to install meters on our premises so that the supply can be metered. Instead of waiver, it wants to charge us for power,” claimed Sukhdev Singh Kaukri, general secretary, BKU (Ugrahan). “The government should rather focus on fulfilling its poll promise,” he said.

The union members, who are on a protest till September 27, today demanded that they be allowed to take out a march in the city. They also alleged harassment of farmers at police nakas.

Meanwhile, a protesting farmer collapsed at the dharna site and later died at hospital, while another was hospitalised. The deceased was identified as 55-year-old Mukhtiyar Singh of Akai village in Mansa. The union activists alleged that he died due to delayed medical aid. Another farmer Charna Singh was admitted to Government Rajindra Hospital after he suffered an epileptic attack.

The union alleged that despite taking permission from the district administration to hold a six-day dharna, the government failed to provide any facility, including an ambulance, to the farmers. They were not even allowed to use the shed in the grain market to take shelter from sun and rain, the farmers alleged.

FIGURING IT OUT

220 lakh tonne: Total paddy straw produced in Punjab

28lakh hectares: Area under paddy