Punjab: Highways passing through Punjab will remain closed for travellers for four hours today on a protest call by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers unions. The protest is against the slow lifting of paddy in mandis across the state. The SKM gave the call for the protest at its meeting in Ludhiana on Wednesday, four days after the ultimatum given to the Punjab government to resolve the issues and ensure speedy procurement of farmers’ produce. Last week they had staged a protest in Chandigarh. But they had postponed their protest for four days after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called them for a meeting on October 19. According to information gathered by The Tribune, protests have been planned in all districts, mainly on highways near mandis in Barnala district (Teen Koni Bhadaur, Dana Mandi Mehal Kalan, Badbar and Rureke Kalan) and Ludhiana district (Jagraon opposite Sugar Mill). In Sangrur, protests are proposed to be held at Bhawanigarh, Dhuri, Lehra Gaga-Bahadurpur Highway, Catron Chowk Sherpur; in Ropar district near Police Line, Bunga Sahib and Anandpur Sahib.
In Moga, protests will be held near Dana Mandi at Baghapurana, Nestle Dairy Plant near Moga, Dharamkot and Kot Ise Khan. Besides, protests will also be held in Patiala at Patiala-Sirhind Road, GT Road in Rajpura, Malerkotla Road in Nabha, Bhawanigarh Cheeka Road in Samana, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk in Patran, Pehowa Road in Devigarh; in Faridkot near Dana Mandi Jaito, Dana Mandi Faridkot and Sadiq; in Ferozepur district (at Lakho Ke Behram, Talwandi Bhai Chowk and Makhu on Amritsar Bathinda Road); in Mohali at Banur, Bhago Mazra (Baronpur) ITI Chowk Lalru, Kurali); in Muktsar district (at Lambi, Aulakh, Dohak, Jhabelwali, Panniwala); in Kapurthala district (opposite Dhillon Highway, Dana Mandi, Kapurthala); in Gurdaspur district (Babri Chowk, Gurdaspur), besides all other districts. Police are making arrangements for travel through alternate routes during this protest. Meanwhile, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have announced to launch an agitation over the issue of slow paddy procurement and short supply of DAP fertilizer in Punjab. They have announced to launch protests at four places in the state from October 26. They will sit on dharna at Phagwara, Batala, Dagru in Moga and Barbarkan in Sangrur from 1 pm and said they will block the flow of traffic. Farmer union leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher, Surjit Singh Phool, Satnam Singh Baheru and Manjit Singh Rai yesterday held the Centre and state governments equally responsible for the slow paddy procurement in the state. Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “It is clear that both governments want to help private players, who have been waiting to enter this food procurement business.” Farmer leaders also warned of an impending crisis due to the unavailability of DAP and urged both governments to resolve the issue of fertilizer shortage, or face the wrath of farmers.
