Farmers hold 2 dharnas in Jalandhar to protest non-lifting of paddy

Farmers in Jalandhar held two dharnas on Thursday to protest against the lack of paddy procurement from mandis.

Farmers of Bharti Kisan Union Qadian, BKU Rajewal and Jamhoori Kisan Sabha blocked the Jalandhar-Phillaur highway for three hours in protest against non-procurement of paddy.

Meanwhile, farmers of the Bharti Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) held a dharna on the Bahmaniyan toll plaza on the Shahkot-Moga road after a statewide call by the BKU Ekta Ugrahan to free toll plazas.

At Phillaur, vehicles queued up as farmers blocked traffic from noon to 4.30 pm demanding the lifting of paddy from mandis.

Farmers of BKU Qadian also freed the toll plaza at Bahmnaian village in Shahkot.

Protesing at Phillaur, Amrik Singh, district president of the BKU Qadian, said, "Our produce is lying piled up in the mandis and there is no place to keep the newly harvested produce. So far, only two to three per cent paddy has been procured and farmers are facing inconvenience. Repeated requests to various officials, including the DC, have fallen on deaf ears. If our produce is not lifted, we will hold an indefinite dharna and also block rail traffic and traffic on the GT Road."

Squatting in the middle of the road and raising slogans against the state government, farmers lifted their dharna only when the Phillaur SDM along with other officials visited the place and pacified them.

Amrik Singh said, "The department has sought two days and assured us that within this time our issues will be resolved. We have lifted dharna on the condition that 50 per cent paddy is procured in the stipulated time or we will intensify the dharna blocking rail traffic."

Farmer leader Jarnail Singh said the government is deliberately harassing farmers; there is no place to put the produce in the mandis as these are already full.

On the Shahkot-Moga road, the dharna was held under BKU Ekta Ugrahan district president Mohan Singh Ball and the Bahmanian toll plaza was freed. Ball said, "Due to the central and state governments' flawed policies, farmers are getting harassed."