Farmers on pucca morcha against mining mafia

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 13

Even though it has been 13 days since the members of Kirti Kisan Union have been sitting on a pucca morcha against the mining mafia along the Beas at Baja village of Sultanpur Lodhi, the officials concerned have not paid any heed to their demand so far.

Villagers from Mangupur, Hussainpur Dullowal, Sujokalia, Burewal, Baja, Patti Safdarpur and Talwandi Chaudrian villages held a press conference on Friday alleging that the Mining Department had so far not paid any heed to their demand of stopping mining at the site, which could lead to flooding of their 20,000 acre fertile land and ruining their crops.

Raghbir Singh, block president, Kirti Kisan Union, said: “At the site where mining is being done, the river has already changed its course and has started corroding our land. We have been demanding that spurs be put up to strengthen the bandh and save our land. Instead of giving us any compensation later, the administration should pay a heed to our demands, cancel the site for mining and strengthen its edges.”

Rajinder Singh, Shamsher Singh, Mohan Singh, Resham Singh, Labh Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh also shared the same grievance.

GS Pannu, SDO, drainage, said: “The mining company officials are in the process of taking away their entire machinery from the site and shifting it elsewhere. They just have the weighing apparatus left at the site, which, too, would be moved anytime. They have said that they cannot operate with farmers’ protest going at the site.”