Protesting farmers in Maharashtra call off long march to Mumbai

MUMBAI: The long march of protesting farmers and tribals, who were on their way from Maharashtra's Nashik district to Mumbai, was called off on Saturday after their demands were addressed in the state legislature and local officials were given instructions to carry out the government's directive, a CPI(M) MLA said.
The march had begun on March 12 in Dindori town, which is about 195 kilometers from Mumbai. The demands included waiver of farm loans, Rs 600 per quintal of relief for onion growers hurt by the price crash, and a 12-hour uninterrupted power supply for farmers. Around 80 kilometers from Mumbai, they had arrived in Vasind town, in Thane district.
Onion farmers will receive a financial relief of Rs 350 per quintal, chief minister Eknath Shinde told the House on Friday. He also requested farmers to end their protest.
"We've got what we asked for. The state legislature has given consideration to all of the farmer's demands, and orders have been given to the collectors and tehsildars. Our activists informed us via phone calls that work had started to carry out the government order. In light of this, we have decided to call off the march," Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA Vinod Nikole said.
The participants, he claimed, have begun returning to their residences, and the rest will follow by Sunday evening or Saturday night.
Meanwhile, a 58-year-old participant in the long march died on Friday.
The deceased Pundalik Ambo Jadhav was a resident of a village near Dindori in Nashik. "After having dinner around 8 pm, Jadhav vomited and again started feeling uneasy. He was rushed to the Shahapur hospital where doctors declared him brought dead," an official said on Saturday.
The Maharashtra government had on Friday accepted most of the demands of farmers.
CM Shinde, Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, ministers and top government officials had held talks with the farmers' representatives to resolve the issue on Thursday.
Shinde had also informed the House that he had held discussions with a farmers' delegation on 14 points, including forest rights, encroachment of forest land, transfer of land belonging to temple trusts and grazing grounds to cultivators for farming.
He had said a cabinet sub-committee will be set up to monitor appeals and claims related to the demand for forest land up to four hectares in possession of cultivators. The panel will prepare a report in a month.
The committee will monitor the pending claims of farmers under the Forest Rights Act, the chief minister said, adding former MLA Jeeva Pandu Gavit and legislator Vinod Nikole, both belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), will be members of the committee.