Don't stop sunflower seed procurement, say farmers

KURUKSHETRA: Demanding resumption of sunflower seed procurement, several farmers of Shahabad Markanda area climbed a water tank in protest against the state government on Tuesday.
Before going atop the water tank, hundreds of farmers held a meeting at Kisan rest house in Shahabad in the morning.
Around 1,300 farmers of Shahbad area have been protesting against the Haryana government's decision to stop sunflower seed procurement ahead of the scheduled time.
After getting information about the protest, district administration officials and police reached the spot and tried to pacify the protesters.
The farmers stayed on the water tank from around 11am till filing of this report. At 7.30 pm, the Shahabad sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Rajiv Prashad climbed the tank to placate the farmers and sought three to four days to resolve the matter. However, the farmers remained adamant on their demand.
The protest started under the leadership of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Haryana) president Gurnam Singh Charuni.
Charuni said, "On Saturday, when we protested outside Shahabad Markanda police station, the officials had demanded time till Monday. Despite getting an extra day, the officials again sought three to four days to resolve the matter. Therefore, we have lost trust in the government and our protest will continue."
Shahabad SDM Rajiv Prashad said, "I had asked the farmers to call off the protest and urged them to give 3-4 days to discuss the issue with the government as it is a matter of state-level policy. But they refused to listen. Around 20 of them are continuing their protest atop the tank. We have made all the emergency arrangements and police are also present on the spot."