Moga, Apr 23 (UNI) Holding Chief Minister Amarinder Singh responsible for the total chaos in 'mandis' in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said that farmers were forced to camp in miserable conditions at procurement centers due to the State's inability to arrange gunny bags to store the incoming wheat crop.
Mr Badal, who visited Goniana Mandi, Goniana Kalan, Maluka, Kotha Guru and Bhagta Bhaike mandis in Bathinda district and the Moga Mandi, requested the entire SAD rank and file to fan out in procurement centers to assist the farmers to get their crop procured.
Mr Badal announced that the party would hold symbolic district level 'dharnas' across the State on April 24 in front of the offices of the Deputy Commissioner to submit a memorandum demanding the problems being faced by farmers in ‘mandis’ be resolved immediately.
Asking the Chief Minister to address the problems being faced by farmers, the SAD chief said the Chief Minister should also direct senior officers to visit all 'mandis' and remove shortcomings which were resulting in extremely slow procurement of wheat.
'Farmers have told me that they are camping in 'mandis' for more than one week to await procurement of their produce. As much as 45 lakh metric tonnes of wheat is lying in the open in mandis and not being lifted due to lack of gunny bags. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has gone into hiding as he knows he cannot face the farmers after failing to issue timely tenders for gunny bags. Punjab was also pipped by Haryana in placing of orders for used gunny bags,' he added.
Mr Badal said farmers and ‘arhatiyas’ had conveyed to him that they were now being asked to arrange for gunny bags on their own. He said the government was claiming it had made a payment of Rs 6,000 crore to farmers when the actual payment was only Rs 3,400 crore. He said in direct contrast, the Haryana government had done a payment of Rs 24,000 crore.
Mr Badal said farmers were suffering because the government did not make advance preparations. The SAD chief claimed former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal used to prepare for the wheat and paddy procurement seasons months in advance. 'This government is least worried about the farmers or their suffering and is content in issuing fake releases about the purported measures taken by it which are not existent on the ground', Mr Badal alleged.
UNI XC DB SV 1630