A 12-hour bandh called by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) over the drought compensation issue on Tuesdayparalysed life in Boudh.
The agitators said Boudh district has been one of the worst-affected in this year’s drought. Farmers have endured crop loss and many of them have committed suicide under loan burden. This Government neither accepts farmers’ suicide nor does it provide any compensation for the crop loss. How would the farmers manage to pay back their loans, procure seeds and fertiliser this year under such circumstancesIJ
The bandh supporters demanded that the administration start distributing compensation to the affected farmers by the end of this month itself.
The agitators were picketed across various places of the district in general and Boudh town in particular to make the bandh successful. Hundreds of them demonstrated in key junctions of the town with placards in hand. Tyres were set on fire blocking some of the roads. While vehicular traffic came to a standstill, most shops and Government offices remained closed. Passengers were seen stranded in bus-stops. Emergency services, however, had been spared from the purview of the bandh.
Even though there were no reports of violence, elaborate security measures were taken by the administration to avert any untoward incident.