Like Singhu and Tikri borders, farmers set for a long haul near Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s Sangrur house

Tribune News Service

Parvesh Sharma

Sangrur, October 10

More farmers are joining the ongoing agitation near the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s local residence. Like last year’s agitation at the Singhu and Tikri borders, they are coming prepared and have started parking their loaded tractors on the roadside, cooking food and setting up a new village here.

Numbers swelling

More farmers are reaching at the protest site in Sangrur with similar preparations they made during the yearlong agitation at the Delhi borders. We are here for a long haul. Sukhdev S Kokri Kalan, BKU-Ugrahan

Apart from making permanent staying arrangements in their modified tractor-trailers equipped with all facilities — fans, food, mobile-charging points and utensils among others — farmers have also formed special committees to supply the required milk and other grocery items daily at the protest site from across the state.

“Despite making big claims, the Punjab Government has failed to fulfil our long-pending demands. It claims there’s dearth of funds, then why is it wasting crores of rupees on highlighting their achievements in the media? Like me, all farmers have come prepared for a long agitation,” said Rajinder Singh, an elderly person sitting in his trailer parked near the protest site on the Sangrur-Patiala road.

Interestingly, the indefinite agitation has given an opportunity to the farmers to further sharpen their attack against the Centre and the state government.

“Our discussion and criticism of the governments goes on till late night. We do group discussions while many of us even go live on Facebook. I am hopeful all this will yield a good result in the coming days, when thousands of people from across the state will join us here as well,” said Sukhmeet Singh, a youth standing near the stage set up at the site.

Notably, the farmers have separate demands from the Centre and the state government. Like from the Punjab Government, they are demanding the immediate release of crop loss relief, special assessment of crops damaged recently, allotment of special budget for public water projects, closure of liquor factory near Zira for causing pollution, quick action to prevent the pollution of various canals by industrialists of Ludhiana and other districts. Meanwhile, from the Centre, the farmers are demanding quick action against all persons involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, release of innocent farmers, a government job each to the families of deceased and Rs 10 lakh financial aid to each family, etc.

“More farmers are reaching here with the same preparations as they made for the yearlong agitation at the Delhi borders. We are here for a long haul,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, general secretary, BKU-Ugrahan.

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