BKU Doaba to deploy 100 tractors per district to clear flood-damaged fields

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) will mobilise 100 tractors from each district of the state to flood-hit areas of Punjab to aid farmers in removing tonnes of accumulated soil from their fields. This declaration was made during a meeting of BKU Doaba at Gurdwara Sukhchainana Sahib in Phagwara.

BKU Doaba also condemned both the state government and the Centre, stating that they failed to conduct their respective duties for the flood-hit farmers of the state. Union members announced that they would hold protests at the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) offices in every district headquarters on September 12. On the same day, memorandums would be handed to DCs, requesting the state government to extend requisite aid to flood-hit farmers.

BKU Doaba state president Manjit Singh Rai made these declarations during the meeting. The union expressed warm gratitude to youngsters, communities, artists, and celebrities who had extended overwhelming help to farmers in flood-hit areas.

Rai said, “The plight of farmers impacted by the state floods was the chief agenda of our meeting today. Over 3 lakh acres of crops have been damaged, and thousands of houses have been submerged. As many as 1,200 to 1,300 villages in Punjab have been affected. The role of the state and central governments in extending help to farmers has been negligible.”

Rai lauded the artist community, saying, “Youngsters, communities, artist brotherhood, including singers and actors from Punjabi and Hindi films, and especially NRI brothers, have extended huge help to farmers. Many millions of dollars have been collected through such aid. The brotherhood from Haryana, UP, and the Muslim community has also come to the aid of Punjab farmers. We thank them and ask governments to emulate their example.”

Rai informed that BKU Doaba had passed a resolution to send 100 tractors from every district to remove sand and silt from fields when waters recede. The union also pledged to help extend seeds and fertilisers to farmers and sought the state government’s assistance in addressing the shortage of DAP fertiliser.

Additionally, Rai requested that sugarcane dues of all farmers across the state, from cooperative as well as private mills, be released so that farmers may receive reprieve during these troubling times when they already face financial crunch due to floods.