Punjab: In Mehmadpur, a small village on the Patiala-Sangrur National Highway that leads to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district, farmers have been waiting for their produce to be procured for the past one week. The mandi shed is already full of paddy and the produce can also be seen lying in the open. “I have come here with my paddy for the past five days but there is no official to explain the situation to us. The SDM came only once. There is hardly any space for farmers to unload their produce or spread it for drying,” says Jagroop Singh. Several other farmers also complained of delayed lifting and poor facilities. “We spend nights with mosquitoes and stray dogs. The condition of urinals is pathetic. Mandi board officials earn lakhs and in the name of facilities they cannot even provide clean toilets and filtered drinking water, let alone sitting,” says Harbir Singh. Alleging poor management and delayed lifting, farmers say, “Let the next elections come and farmers will know the kind of oppression they have to face. It is unforgettable.” They say their struggle will not end even after their crops are bought. “Once we return to our fields, the shortage of DAP fertilizer will be another big issue. The struggle will begin to get subsidized DAP at Rs 1,350 per bag, as its price in the market has gone up to Rs 1,750 to Rs 2,000 per bag,” says Gurbinder Singh, who spent four days in the mandi.
Punjab: Farmers said there is no one to resolve their grievances
