Protesting Punjab farmers lift week-long rail blockade

Protesting farmers in Punjab on Tuesday lifted their week-long rail blockade that crippled train services and caused a whopping economic loss to the state but said their protest in support of their demand for higher compensation would continue.

"We have called off our 'Rail Roko' agitation and started lifting blockade at different places in the state," BKU Ekta (<g data-gr-id="56">Dakunda</g>) General Secretary Jagmohan Singh said.

However, BKU Ekta (Ugrahan) General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said their agitation against the state government would continue for non-acceptance of all of their demands including higher compensation for cotton crop loss.

"Our agitation will continue. We will now change the format of our agitation. We have decided to gherao residences of all the state ministers, ruling party MLAs and other party leaders on October 23.

He said they would launch a protest on Wednesday, stop ministers from entering villages and show them black flags.

Agitating farmers arrived at the decision after holding their core committee meeting which continued till late night at Kisan Bhawan here.

The farmers' agitation, which began on October 7, hit rail movement in Punjab as over 1,200 trains were affected because of protest in Ambala and Ferozepur divisions of railways, causing inconvenience to passengers and heavy loss to financial loss to railway authorities.

The talks between protesting farmers and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal failed to break the deadlock over peasants' demands on Monday, following which farmers had announced to continue with their agitation till on Tuesday.

The BKU leaders also hit out at Badal for expressing "inability" to raise the quantum of compensation for cotton crop loss and basmati prices.

"During the meeting, Badal told us that state government has nothing to offer. But said our demands are genuine and farmers are in pain. Badal said his government's financial position was worse than the cotton crop which has been extensively damaged by the whitefly attack," Singh said.

"Should such kind of response be given by a CM to protesting farmers?" asked Singh.

"Badal has flatly refused to honour our main demand of increase in cotton crop loss by pest attack and basmati rates which forced to continue our agitation," said <g data-gr-id="53">Kokri</g>.

Singh said the state government was not ready to pay more than Rs 8,000 per acre as compensation for crop loss and did not accept their demand for higher rates for PUSA 1121 Basmati variety.

“The state government told us that PUSA 1121 Basmati crop will not be purchased at MSP by state agencies. We were demanding higher rates for PUSA 1121 variety which is in great demand in overseas markets like Iran,” he said.

However, he said Punjab Police DGP Sumedh Saini, who was also present in on Monday’s meeting of farmers with Badal, had assured them that police would inquire into alleged fleecing of farmers by <g data-gr-id="63">Arthiyas</g> who had been paying “lower rates” to farmers for PUSA 1509 Basmati variety.

Protesting farmers have been demanding Rs 40,000 per acre compensation for farmers whose crop got damaged by whitefly attack, Rs 20,000 per family for farm labourers, Rs 4,500 per quintal rate for Basmati PUSA 1509 variety and Rs 5,000 per quintal for Basmati PUSA 1121.

Besides, they are also seeking payments of sugarcane dues by private mills, debt relief and Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to the families of farmers who committed suicide.

Asked what the farmers got from the state government, the BKU leader said the state government has offered to pay Rs 64 crore compensation to farm labourers.

On the issue of debt waiver, Singh said that Punjab CM has assured that he would take up the matter with RBI while for cooperative loans, the state government would come out with a policy.