KMSC seeks relief for damage to crops, houses in deluge

The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) has raised strong demands before the state government, seeking urgent relief and long-term measures for farmers and labourers who have suffered heavy losses due to recent floods and rains.

Leaders of the committee said that the destruction of standing crops has pushed farming families into crisis. They demanded at least Rs 70,000 per acre compensation for the paddy crop. The KMSC also demanded that agricultural labourers who have lost their source of income should be compensated. The committee also called for special financial aid to families whose houses have been damaged in the calamity.

Another major demand put forward is the rejuvenation of the canal irrigation system, which according to the farmers, has been neglected for years. KMSC leader Satnam Singh Pannu stated that a well-maintained canal network is vital to prevent dependency on erratic rainfall and over-exploitation of groundwater. “If the canal system is repaired and strengthened, farmers will get assured irrigation and such large-scale losses can be prevented in future,” he said.

The committee also pressed for granting landowners the right to undertake sand mining within their fields. They argued that this would not only provide an additional source of income to farmers but also regulate illegal sand mining carried out by private contractors. It may be mentioned that a day earlier, farmers had pointed to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that sandmining was a major cause for weak river embankments.

The KMSC leaders announced that they would continue their struggle until the government takes concrete steps. Pannu said that the committee would soon submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioners across Punjab.