Crop loss due to floods: Punjab farmers protest delay in issuing adequate compensation

Farmers and labourers took part in a protest organised by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha here on Monday. They also burnt effigies of the Centre and the Punjab Government, demanding immediate action with regard to crop and flood compensation.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said protests were held at 112 places across 19 districts in the state. The protest aimed to highlight the problems faced by farmers after crop damage caused by the floods. Pandher demanded compensation of Rs 70,000 per acre for damaged paddy crops, along with 10 per cent additional compensation for farm labourers. Full compensation was also demanded for the loss of livestock, poultry farms and damaged homes.

Farmer leaders criticised the government for penalising farmers for paddy stubble burning while offering minimal compensation for crop losses. “Farmers do not burn stubble for fun. The government should either make proper arrangements for stubble disposal or provide Rs 200 per quintal or Rs 6,000 per acre to manage it themselves,” said Pandher.

They demanded that flood-affected areas receive immediate relief, sugarcane payments be cleared quickly and that wheat, basmati and other crops be purchased at fair prices. The leaders insisted that water release from dams be investigated by a judicial commission and measures taken to prevent such damage in the future.

The protest emphasized that action against farmers for burning crop residue is discriminatory. Pandher said while industrial areas causing 94 per cent of pollution were left unchecked, farmers faced fines and restrictions despite their fields producing oxygen and food all year.

The protest involved farmers’ groups and unions, including the BKU Ekta Azad, the BKU Krantikari, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, the BKU Doaba, the Kisan Mazdoor Hitkari Sabha, the BKU Bhatedi and the Bharti Kisan Mazdoor Union.