12 days on, no payment for wheat sold in Ambala mandis

Nitin Jain
Tribune News Service
Ambala, April 22

The farmers and arhtiyas (commission agents) in all 15 grain markets (mandis) of Ambala district are up in arms as they have not yet received payment for wheat purchased from them for the past 12 days. Besides, they allege acute shortage of gunny bags and slow and irregular lifting of the purchased foodgrain from the mandis.

However, the district officials concerned claimed that the payments were being processed and would be credited to the accounts of the arhtiyas “very shortly”.

Aggrieved over what they call as the “indifferent and callous” attitude of the officials of the procurement agencies, the farmers and arhtiyas have threatened to boycott the ruling BJP in the May 12 Lok Sabha poll if they continue to “suffer” at the hands of the babus.

“It’s a nefarious design on the part of the procurement agencies to defame the present regime and create anti-government sentiment among the farmers and traders,” alleged market committee vice-chairman Bharat Bhushan Aggarwal. He assured the aggrieved farmers and arhtiyas to take up the matter with CM Manohar Lal Khattar and ensure speedy payment and lifting of the procured wheat stock from mandis.

Requests fall on deaf ears

Haryana State Arhtiya Association patron Duni Chand, who is the president of the Ambala district and Ambala City bodies, said repeated requests to the district officials had fallen on the deaf ears and both farmers and arhtiyas had been suffering at the government hands. He threatened to launch a mass agitation against the state government if the arhtiyas and farmers were not given their dues forthwith.

“We have been made beggars at the hands of arhtiyas and procurement agencies for getting payment of our produce,” rued a harried farmer Surjit Singh.

Shortage of gunny bags

A leading commission agent Asim Aggarwal said besides, there was an acute shortage of gunny bags and the lifting of the purchased foodgrain was being done very slow and irregularly, causing hardship to both traders and farmers. “The officials concerned are least bothered about our plight. They are befooling us by claiming that payments have been sent to the bank concerned, but not a single penny has been credited to our accounts so far,” he alleged.

When contacted, Ambala District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) Nishant Rathee said the treasurer had approved the payments on Monday and the same had been sent to the bank branch for immediate transfer of money to the arhtiyas’ accounts.

“Besides some issues with the new system put in place this season, there was also delay on the part of the market committee in uploading the forms, following which they are not processed in time, resulting in delayed payments,” the DFSC said and assured that the arhtiyas, whose forms had been received by the department, would get money transfer in their banks by Tuesday.

On the other hand, Hafed district manager VP Malik claimed that the agency had already issued payments for the purchase made till April 13, while that for April 14 was under process.

As per government norms, the payment of the purchased foodgrain has to be made within 48 hours, but not late than a week. The wheat procurement had begun in the district mandis on April 11.

Meanwhile, a total of 1.58 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured in all 14 mandis of the district till Sunday evening, the DFSC said.