INLD seeks rollback of tractor fee hike

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has demanded that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government immediately withdraw the recent hike in tractor registration fees, saying the move would impose a heavy financial burden on farmers.

Addressing a press conference at the INLD district office on Dabwali Road, district president Jasbir Singh Jassa criticised the BJP for failing to fulfil its election promises made in 2014, including the procurement of all crops at the minimum support price (MSP) and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.

He said that tractors, regarded as essential tools for farmers, were registered for a fee of Rs 1,000 under the previous Congress government, but the BJP had increased the amount tenfold. “If tractors were being used for commercial purposes, the hike might have been justified. However, raising the fee on farm-use tractors amounts to injustice against farmers,” Jassa said.

Jassa also drew attention to several issues plaguing the district’s agricultural sector, including a shortage of nearly 5,000 transformers and delays in the supply of DAP fertiliser and other farm inputs. He accused the state government of failing to procure cotton (narma) at the MSP and of neglecting promises to provide financial support for small dams on the Ghaggar.

Recalling the tenure of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, Jassa said several canals originating from the Ghaggar were built during that period, significantly improving irrigation and crop yields.