Expedite relief to farmers, BKU-Ugrahan urges Punjab Govt

Tribune News Service

Bathinda/Muktsar, April 5

BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists today staged a protest, demanding early compensation for the damage caused to crops and vegetables due to heavy rains and hailstorms recently. The protest, organised outside the District Administrative Complex here, was led by district BKU president Shingara Singh Mann.

Addressing the gathering, state senior vice-president Jhanda Singh Jethuke and Mann said the Mann government was delaying the payment of compensation to farmers. Though the wheat harvest had started, girdawari had not begun in all villages, he said.

Income decreasing

Farmers who cultivate land on lease are facing heavy economic losses. They are already in debt due to high prices of agricultural inputs. Their income is continuously decreasing. —Union

They claimed the rain and storm had caused heavy losses to wheat and other crops, while the authorities were only considering the damage to the crops due to the hailstorm. Further, they said wheat yield had decreased due to excessive heat last time. The union said farmers who cultivate land on lease were facing heavy economic losses. “Farmers are already in debt due to high prices of agricultural inputs, but the income is continuously decreasing,” it added.

Submitting a memorandum to the DC, the farmers urged the government to immediately begin girdawari of damage to the crops. Besides full compensation for the damage to the crops, the farmers demanded relief for farm workers.

In Muktsar also, BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) today gheraoed the District Administrative Complex. They claimed that Charanjit Singh Channi-led state government in 2021 had announced to give Rs 17,000 per acre compensation to farmers, but the present government had announced to give Rs 15,000 per acre.

The protesters said the CM during his visit to Muktsar district on March 26 had announced that the state government would give compensation to the farmers within 10 days. However, they had not got any relief so far. The protesters also demanded immediate compensation for the damage to their houses due to the recent rains. They later handed over a memorandum to the naib tehsildar and dispersed.

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