KMSC to stage protest against govt on Sept 24

The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee has announced that it would hold protests against the state government at district headquarters here on September 24. The KMSC alleged that the state government had failed to fulfill its promises made to the farmers including job for the kin of those who had died during the Delhi Morcha.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “We are already staging protest at Haryana borders. We did not want to divert our attention from the ongoing protest against the Central government but the state government is not paying any heed to our demands which are in

its purview.”

Pandher said that hundreds of farmers from Punjab had died during the agitation and the state government had announced jobs and compensation for their families. He said that many of the families have still not got anything.

“A bus returning from Delhi to Amritsar had met with an accident and the government had announced compensation for the injured but nothing has been given so far,” said Pandher.

Pandher added that with paddy harvesting season about to start, soon a campaign against farmers would begin which would accuse them of causing pollution by burning crop residue. “We are asking the government to stop the blame game and do something concrete to find a solution to the problem,” he said.

The KMSC leaders said that Punjab government has failed to ensure a better price for basmati even as it had encouraged them to go for its cultivation to save water. “Now, when the prices this year are around half of last year, the state government is not doing anything. It should also talk to the Central government to reduce the cap on minimum export price of basmati,” said Pandher.

The association also accused the state government of using force to acquire land for road projects. “Courts have clearly ruled that farmers should be paid six times the market price as the government is not only taking away their land but also their livelihood,” said Pandher.