The delay in payment for paddy to the farmers in Punjab is causing unrest in the State. While a delegation of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Monday submitted a memorandum to the Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil demanding “immediate release” of the pending payment of paddy, 11 of the State Congress leaders also sat on fast-unto-death in Chandigarh demanding the same.
It has been learnt that the Punjab Government is yet to made payment amounting more than Rs3000 crore to the State farmers.
Punjab Congress Kissan Khet Majdoor Cell chairman Inderjit Singh Zira, along with 10 supporters, sat on fast-unto-death on Monday morning at Punjab MlA Hostel in Chandigarh’s Sector-3.
The party has been demanding release of around Rs3500 crore from the Punjab Government which has been lying pending for the payment towards the farmers.
“In case the Government did not accept our demands, an agitation would be launched in a more aggressive way at the district level also,” a senior Congress leader said.
The BKU delegation, led by its national president and former MP Bhupinder Singh Mann and state BKU chief Baldev Singh Mianpur, sought Patil’s intervention for resolution of the problem and seeking justice on the issues of Punjab in general and of farmers and farm labour in particular.
The meeting, that lasted for about an hour, Patil gave a patient hearing to BKU’s all the issues and assured to look into all these important grievances of the farmers. He said that he would take up the matters with the Punjab Government and as well as the Central Government on priority basis.
Pointing out that “Rs3300 crores is outstanding to be paid to the farmers”, the BKU memorandum read that the farmers are in deep crisis and are unable to mobilize resources to sow the next crop in time. “This will adversely impact the wheat crop and its production will also go down. We request you that the apparent sour relations between Punjab and Central Government should not take toll on the deprived farmers,” it added.
The delegation also pointed that sugarcane, being a “viable crop for diversification from wheat-paddy cycle”, is recommended by the Swaminathan Commission to have MSP around Rs400 per quintal. “Punjab Government has fixed the price very low at Rs295 for advance variety; Rs285 for mid season and Rs280 per quintal for the late variety. Adding to the injustice, Punjab Government has added a sugarcane variety which is in ‘early variety’ last year to ‘mid variety’ this year,” it added.
“We request you to direct the Punjab Government to fix the cane price according to Swminathan Commission and also not indulge in the deceit of squeezing farmers by shifting Cane variety with a motive to give lower price to farmers,” said the delegation.
The delegation also highlighted the severe shortage of urea fertilizer in the state which is essential for sowing of wheat crop.
“There is short supply of this important fertilizer, and the private traders have adequate stock and are selling at high prices. We seriously feel that there is some deep rooted conspiracy in this affair. We request you to make available adequate stock of urea so that crops of wheat and potato are not effected,” said BKU.
The delegation also sought Patil intervention on issues like delay in the release of power connections, menace of wild animals playing havoc on the crops and stray dogs
menace, along with the drug menace.