Intensifying their protest against “anti-farmers’
policies” of the State Government, the farmers’ organisations in Punjab on Sunday decided to block rail traffic on October 7 and 8.
“If the Punjab Government and the Union Government failed to take steps for farmers benefit and stop anti-farmers’ policies, peasantry will be left with no other option to block
rail traffic in Punjab,” announced BKU (Ugrahan and Ekta)’s president and general secretary Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Sukhdev
Singh Kokari.
“We will be holding an emergent meeting of farmers’ organisations at a secret place to chalk out the next course of action on October 8,” they said, adding that there was no other way then to intensify their agitation.
Agitation of rail traffic blockade programme will
take place in 12 main cities and towns across the State, they said.
Both the farmer leaders declared that their main demand is to enhance the relief announced by State Government of Rs645 crore for cotton crop damage whereas farmers’ union's estimate of loss of cotton by whitefly is Rs4,200 crore.
“Such a meagre relief announced by the Government is not acceptable to them,” they said while demanding Rs40,000 per acre compensation for
the damage of cotton and Rs20,000 per acre to farm labourers.
The State Government is providing only Rs8,000 per acre to the effected farmers in case of 10 per cent damage to the cotton crop, they said.