Farmers want debt waiver, to hold dharna

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 22

Activists of the Pendu Mazdor Union today said they would hold dharnas outside cooperative societies from July 25 onwards to protest against the mounting debts on landless in the state.

They said: “The maximum number of landless under debt in the district are from Jalandhar.”

Members of the union said 96,466 landless farmers in Jalandhar had a debt of Rs 1,85,74, 91,000. In Hoshiarpur, 56,051 famlies had been reeling under the debt of Rs 1,38,80,43000.

At Nawanshahr, 45,543 families had the debt of Rs 91crores, five lakh and 9,000. In Patiala 35,846 families had the debt of Rs 43 crore, 90 lakh and 83,000.

In Ludhiana, 31,941 families had the debt of Rs 43 crores, three lakh and 68,000. At Ropar 20,353 families had the debt of Rs 35 crores, 49 lakh and 21,000. At Kapurthala,14,930 families had the debt of Rs 29 crores, 63 lakh and 52,000.

The members of the union said: “There are 3,60,83 landless members, whose debts worth Rs 6,35,60,87,000 had been waived by the government, and a notification to this effect had also been issued.”

They said the government had promised to waive the debt to the tune of Rs 50,000 but issued the notification to waive the debt of 25,000.