Farmers protest land acquisition Bill

Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, March 31

Thousands of farmers, under the banner of Bhartiya Kissan Union Ekta (Sidhupur), staged a dharna in support of their demands in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here.

The protesters blocked traffic and demanded the withdrawal of the land acquisition Bill.

Association’s national president Pishora Singh Sidhupur and state president Balbir Singh Rajewal addressed the protesters during the dharna. Pishora Singh, in his address, lashed out at the Narendra Modi government and termed it anti-farmer. He said farmers had to face difficulties in getting urea in time.

He said, “The Swaminathan commission’s recommendations should be implemented and Shanta Kumar’s report be scrapped, loans of farmers should be waived and new loans should be given interest-free. Linking of rivers should be stopped and the reservation policy should be amended.” Later, the farmers submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.

‘Irrigation cess unjustified’

Faridkot: The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) activists staged a protest in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office in Faridkot, demanding implementation of the Swaminathan report.

The farmers also protested the land acquisition Bill and irrigation water cess on farmers.

Raising slogans against the Union and state governments, the farmers alleged that when the BJP was in Opposition, it too raised the demand of implementing the Swaminathan report but once it assumed power, the party was not heeding to the demand.

Farmer leaders alleged that imposing the water cess on the canal water for irrigation in Punjab too was “unjustified”. “Only 22 per cent of the land is irrigated by the canal water in Punjab, the rest of the land depends on tube wells or other means for irrigation. So imposing the water cess on all farmers in the state was highly unjustified. Instead, the state government should compensate farmers who are not getting canal water,” said a farmer.