Farmers disrupt train traffic over urea shortage

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jind, December 16

Alleging black-marketing of urea, hundreds of farmers of adjoining villages today disrupted train traffic on the main Sriganganagar-New Delhi rail line in Narwana for over four hours.

They sat on the railway track and raised slogans against the government for not taking measures to ease the fertilizer shortage.

“We have been numerous rounds of local government shop, but they always maintain that they have not received the required stocks. But many farmers of our villages have purchased it in the black,” alleged Suresh, a protesting farmer. The protesters remained adamant to pleas by the authorities to lift the blockade. The absence of agriculture department officials further complicated the situation. “There is only one government shop and the authorities concerned are selling it as per their whims and fancy. We request the state to open more shops, said Satvir, another protesting farmer.

The blockade disrupted rail traffic on this busy rail tack as all trains going to New Delhi and other important areas of country from other important stations like Jammu, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Ferozpur and Bikaner did were held up.

Many superfast, express and passenger trains like the Ferozpur Janta Express, which goes to Mumbai from Ferozepur, Intercity from Sriganganagar to Rishikesh and Kurukeshetra passenger and other trains were delayed.

Rail traffic could resume only after assurances from Narwana DSP Adeshdeep Singh that he will take up the issue with the administration.

Farmers stop traffic on NH over urea shortage

Satish Seth

Kaithal, December 16

Farmers protested the shortage of urea by blocking the Chandigarh–Hisar National Highway in Kalayat.

The protesters raised slogans against the government for not ensuring proper supply of the fertilizer when it was badly needed. They alleged that urea was unavailable at the state-run retail shops but was being sold openly by private traders at high prices.

With commuters at the receiving end, the police rushed to the spot and urged the farmers to lift the blockade. Officials assured the agitators that they would take up this issue with the administration following which the famers relented and allowed the traffic to ply.

The police also accompanied a farmer’s delegation to meet SDM Ashwani Maingi who talked to the agriculture officials Mohinder Singh Dhaka and Dr J S Lamba. They told him that a railway rake with 6000 bags of urea will reach Kalayat town late this evening which was enough to meet the farmer’s needs.

Farmers protest non-availability of urea

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 16

Farmers of the region today blocked the Kaithal-Ambala road outside the Pehowa grain market over non-availability of urea for their wheat crop.

They raised slogans against the state government and officials.

The agitating farmers said, “An artificial scarcity of urea has been created. Several complaints have been given to the officials in this regard, but to no avail. ”

Tehsildar Sadhu Ram, who reached the spot, pacified the farmers following which the blockade was lifted.

Farmers protest shortage of fertilizer in Hisar

Hisar: Enraged over the non-supply of urea, farmers blocked the Sirsa road outside the grain market in the town today.The farmers alleged that they had been making rounds of the government agencies and fertiliser shops but were unable to get the fertiliser.

The blockade resulted in long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road.

Meanwhile, Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala met Union Chemical and Fertilisers Minister Anant Kumar in Delhi today and apprised him about the shortage of urea in Hisar and other parts of the state.

The MP said the minister had assured that Haryana would get adequate supply of urea within two days.

Fatehabad farmers protest urea shortage

Tribune News Service

Fatehabad: Farmers today blocked the national highway near Lal Batti Chowk here in protest against the shortage of urea. The police had to use a mild force to disperse the protesters.

“I have been coming to Fatehabad for the past four days to buy urea for my 25 acres, but so far I have got the fertiliser,” alleged Satnam Singh, a farmer. “Officials gave urea in bulk to traders for a premium, while farmers visit the IFFCO office and other government agencies in the hope of getting the fertiliser.”

The protesters claimed that the government agencies were denying them the fertiliser, but it was freely available with traders, who sold it on the black market or forced them to purchase unwanted growth promoters to mint money.

The authorities have been assuring farmers that there is no dearth of urea, but long queues outside offices of government agencies present a different picture.

No shortage of urea, claims Khattar

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 16

With farmers agitated about the unavailibility of urea, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has said that there was no shortage.

The farmers need not worry as necessary steps are being taken to ensure timely supply of fertilizers to them, he added.

The CM was presiding over a review meeting about the availability of fertilizers here today. He called up Union Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha, and urged him to provide at least five railway rakes per day for Haryana. Khattar also requested Union Minister for Fertilizers, Anant Kumar, to increase the supply of urea.

He directed all DCs to monitor the fertilizer distribution in tandem with the Deputy Director Agriculture and Manager, HAFED, in each district on a daily basis.

He informed that 3,24,700 MT of urea is allocated to Haryana during December out of which 1,37,588 MT had been supplied till December 16 whereas 6090 MT is expected to reach on December 17 and 11,814 MT on December 18. Similarly, rakes of 52,330 MT of Indian Potash Limited, Rashtriya Fertilizers Limited, IFFCO, RCF and CFCL is expected to reach next week for Rewari, Narnaul, Mewat, Kaithal, Hisar and Sonepat. As many as 150 MT and 100 MT of urea is supplied per day by Rashtriya Fertilizers Limited, Panipat and Sonepat, respectively, by road, he added.

Similarly, Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar too claimed that there was no shortage of fertilizer. He said 2.20 lakh extra bags of fertilizer were disbursed to the farmers than the corresponding period last year.

The Centre had reserved about 50000 tonnes (10 lakh bags) for future use of the farmers, he said.