Border area farmers stage protest

Tarn Taran, December 3

The Punjab Border Area Kisan Union has appealed to the State and Union Government to accede to the demands of farmers who have their land across the fencing on the Indo-Pak border. Raghbir Singh Bhangala, state president and Surjit Singh Bhura, vice-president of the union, informed here today that farmers owning land across the fencing organised a dharna at the District Administrative Complex last week.

Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar has invited them for a meeting to discuss their demands on December 7. The farmer leaders said that they have been demanding linking of the compensation of Rs 10,000 being giving to them with the Agriculture Price Index. The leaders said that compensation for the land acquired forcibly since 1947 on the Zero Line and the 44 feet wide land of the farmers acquired since 1990 for fencing has not been paid to the farmers yet despite repeated representations to the authorities concerned.

The farmer leaders appealed to the State and Union Government to acquire their land across the fencing with a suitable compensation as their owners have suffered a lot.

The leaders warned that in case their demands are not accepted on December 7 in the meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, Tarn Taran, then all the gates meant to enter the land across the fencing in six border districts controlled by the BSF would be shut and the government would be responsible for this.