Heaps of wheat lie on roads in Rohtak, get wet due to untimely rain

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 4

Thousands of quintals of wheat produce has been lying on roads, in open spaces and agricultural fields at many villages in Rohtak district due to shortage of storage space at the grain markets and purchase centres in the district.

Large quantities of wheat lying in the open got soaked in the recent spell of rain, posing multifarious problems to farmers, arhtiyas and procurement agencies of the state government.

Dimple Budhwar, president, Rohtak Grain Market Arhtiyas Association, stated that anticipating rain, they had covered the wheat lying in the open with plastic sheets (tirpals), but many sheets were blown away by the thunderstorm.

On the other hand, the Rohtak Deputy Commissioner, RS Verma, puts the blame for the wheat produce lying in the open on the arhtiyas.

“Owing to their greed, the arhtiyas accepted much more wheat than they could handle. They asked even those farmers to dump their produce at the grain markets who did not have the requisite token/gate pass. The wheat bags were not stacked inside the sheds, owing to which these get soaked in rain,” he maintained.

The Deputy Commissioner stated that the licenses of seven arhtiyas had been cancelled and action would be taken against those indulging in such irregularities.

A survey carried out by The Tribune, on Monday, revealed that heaps of foodgrains were lying on the road in Madina village, located on the Delhi-Fazilka National Highway; on the Rukhi-Ghilor stretch of the old Rohtak-Gohana road; and in open spaces and agricultural fields in several other villages of the district.

Inquiries made in this regard indicate that this had become a perennial problem for farmers as well as arhtiyas, who continue to struggle to ensure the safekeeping of wheat and protect it from rain, dust-storm, unscrupulous elements and stray animals year after year.

“Farmers and arhtiyas face grave inconvenience due to the acute shortage of storage space at the local grain markets and purchase centres. We have been apprising the state authorities of the matter, but no concrete steps have been taken in this regard,” laments Preet Singh, president, Rohtak district unit of the All-India Kisan Sabha.