South Dinajpur admin clears stranded wheat after talks with protesting farmers

BALURGHAT: After two rounds of tripartite meetings at the district administrative level, the South Dinajpur administration announced a decision to release wheat-laden rakes and trucks that had been stranded at a silo warehouse following an agitation by landowning farmers.

District Magistrate Bala Subramanian T said the immediate impasse over the movement of wheat had been resolved but added that discussions on full compensation for land acquisition would continue. According to him, the silo warehouse company and representatives of the land protection committee will hold talks within the next two days to address unresolved compensation-related issues.

“The tripartite meeting has decided that the company will sit with the land-donating farmers and resolve their grievances,” the District Magistrate said, indicating that the administration is keen to ensure a negotiated settlement.

The prolonged agitation had led to the closure of the Food Corporation of India (FCI)-approved silo warehouse located near Balurghat Railway Station, creating logistical difficulties. To defuse the situation, the district administration convened a series of meetings on Tuesday that continued from afternoon till late at night.

The meetings were held at the administrative building in Balurghat and were attended by the District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police, land and revenue officials, representatives of the silo warehouse company and leaders of the Adivasi Land Protection Committee.

Landowning farmers have been staging a sit-in protest since January 12, locking the silo warehouse and demanding full compensation for their land along with fulfillment of promised employment conditions.

The agitation entered its 15th day on Tuesday, prompting the administration to step in to prevent further disruption.

FCI divisional official Kuldeep Singh, who was present at the meeting, said the protest had resulted in a major bottleneck in grain movement. “Due to the agitation, around 1,300 tonnes of wheat remained stuck in goods train rakes, leading to serious problems. We have now received assurances that the wheat-laden trucks will be released,” he said.

However, farmer leaders made it clear that their movement would continue if their demands are not met. Adivasi Land Protection and Farmers’ Welfare Association vice-president Naiki Murmu said the company requested two days to resolve compensation issues, warning that if talks fail, the farmers’ agitation would continue.