Hike SAP or face stir: Cane growers

Ashok Kaura

Phagwara, November 15

Demanding an increase in the state assured price (SAP) of sugarcane from Rs 300 to Rs 350 per quintal, the Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee today held a five-hour dharna at the local grain market.

The farmers, who had announced to block the national highway at Chaheru near Phagwara over their demand, changed their venue after the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders on a public interest litigation filed by an NGO yesterday.

More than 2,000 farmers from different districts participated in the dharna, despite a light rainfall. Farmer leaders, including committee president Manjit Singh Rai, general secretary Satnam Singh Sahni and Jalandhar district president Harsh Surinder Singh, threatened to intensify their stir if their demands would not be accepted by November 20.

The protesters raised slogans against the government carrying placards in their hands. Farmer leaders including Gurbax Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Harjinder Singh, Kirpal Singh and Baldev Singh Sirsa alleged that while the Haryana Government had raised the cane price to Rs 330 per quintal even before the start of the season, the Punjab Government had failed to do so.

“The Congress government is favouring the sugar mill owners, while cane growers are left in the lurch. Sugarcane prices are stagnant at Rs 290 to Rs 300 per quintal in Punjab for the last five years,” they said.

The dharna was lifted when Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Tayyab along with SDM Jyoti Bala arrived at the site and the protesters submitted a memorandum to him to be forwarded to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.

Their major demands include enhancing sugarcane price to Rs 350 per quintal and ensuring timely payments to farmers. Heavy police force was deployed around the dharna venue and various parts of Phagwara to prevent any untoward incident. Phagwara SP Parminder Singh Bhandal supervised the security arrangements. Though farmer organisations did not go for any rail blockade, the police had made security arrangements at Phagwara and nearby railway stations.