Paddy procurement: Farmers protest outside MLA's office

Times News Network

Ludhiana: Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Ugraha protested in front of the office of Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura, demanding uninterrupted procurement of paddy crops from farmers and lifting from the mandis.

Addressing a meet, the leaders alleged that the paddy grown by farmers is lying in the markets and that both the central and state governments are troubling farmers by avoiding the issue of the purchase of their crops.

They added that 25 toll plazas in Punjab have been made toll-free by the union members since October 17. On Friday, they escalated their efforts by starting marches in front of the offices and homes of ministers and MLAs of the AAP government, demanding that government procurement should be unhindered.

General Secretary of BKU Ekta Ugrahan, Sudagar Singh Ghudani, said that the protest outside the office of Payal MLA will continue indefinitely. He added that besides staging protests outside the offices and homes of AAP and BJP representatives, they have made toll plazas, including Chowkiman Toll Plaza, toll-free. This action is related to the central government, which is not lifting the procured paddy crop, causing a glut in mandis.

The BKU leader said that as mandis are filled with procured paddy and new purchases are not being made, farmers whose crops are yet to be procured are suffering and are having to wait. He added that farmers will face issues due to the non-procurement of their crops, as they need to grow potatoes or wheat and are not getting DAP. The farmer leader also demanded that farmers who do not burn stubble should be given a bonus of Rs 200 per quintal.

Meanwhile, Chowkiman Toll Plaza on Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road remained free for vehicles for the second consecutive day. District president of BKU, Charan Singh Noorpara, said that until the purchase and payment of paddy are completed, the toll plaza will remain free.

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