SAD seeks relief for rain-hit basmati growers

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 28

Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia today demanded immediate compensation at the rate of Rs 50,000 per acre for ‘basmati’ growers in the Majha region as the crop has been damaged across thousands of acres by hailstorm a few days back.

The ‘basmati’ crop had been destroyed when it was ripe and was on the verge of being harvested. Due to this, grains have been dislodged by the hail storm and there was nothing left to harvest.

Majithia said it was shocking that despite the fact that the ‘basmati’ crop in more than a dozen villages had been completely destroyed, the Congress government had not even got into the act of conducting a survey of the damage.

“This is primarily because Congressmen from the Majha belt are busy in internal feuds even as the farmers suffer despite having six ministers, including two deputy chief ministers, representing the region.”

Calling for an immediate grant of compensation to farmers, he said farmers were already stressed due to costly lease and high rates of inputs, including diesel. This had been compounded this year due to unchecked black marketing of DAP fertilizer.

He said it should be ensured that both the land owners as well as those who had taken the same on lease were awarded compensation.

Meanwhile, farmers whose crop was damaged earlier have not received compensation even after holding of ‘girdwari’. Even the farmer whom CM Charanjit Channi consoled personally after his cotton crop was destroyed by pink bollworm attack, has not received any compensation.

Stating that peoples’ issues had taken a back seat during Congress regime, the SAD leader asked the chief minister to emulate the example set by former CM Parkash Singh Badal. “When cotton crop was damaged due to incidence of pests, the then SAD led government had given compensation to farmers as well as farm labourers. This is needed now also as the farm labour has also lost their livelihood due to destruction of the cotton crop”, he said.