Patiala, Oct 19 (PTI) Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday accused the state and the central administration of “conspiring to destroy” Punjab’s economy by failing to clear godown space for the fresh paddy crop.
He said that the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab is failing to address critical storage and procurement issues, which has resulted in “severe disruptions” across the state’s agrarian economy.
Bajwa, who is the leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly, said he visited the grain markets in Sanaur, Ghanaur, and Patiala, where he interacted with farmers, commission agents, and rice sheller owners, all of whom expressed “deep frustration” over the ongoing “paddy procurement crisis.” He said only 18 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of the expected 185 LMT paddy harvest reached mandis, and many farmers were “coerced into” accepting unfair cuts of Rs 300 per quintal due to the lack of government intervention.
Rice shellers also voiced concerns about being forced to store paddy without formal agreements, causing a massive backlog as most of the procured grain remains unmoved, he claimed in a statement.
Bajwa also recalled his October 14 warning in Delhi of an impending “agrarian crisis” due to the absence of adequate storage for the 185 LMT paddy harvest.
He lambasted Mann and the BJP-led Centre for “conspiring to destroy” Punjab’s economy.
Promotion by the CM of hybrid paddy varieties like PR-126, which yields 5 kg less rice per quintal than other varieties, has compounded the crisis, resulting in a loss of approximately Rs 6,000 crore for rice millers, who are now refusing to mill the government-procured paddy, he claimed.
Meanwhile, a group of farmers staged a ‘dharna’ and blocked vehicular traffic at Adda Bhangala on the Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway and at Hardo Khundpur on the Hajipur-Harse Mansar link road in Hoshiarpur district to protest the tardy paddy procurement.
Led by Gurnam Singh, state general secretary of Pagri Sambhal Lehar, the farmers set up tents on either side of the highway and denounced the state and central governments for “failing” to lift paddy from grain markets.
They demanded an immediate start of paddy procurement to prevent further losses, warning of an escalation, if it doesn’t happen.
The district administration redirected traffic through alternative routes.
In a related protest, members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (Piddi Group) blocked traffic for more than three hours in front of the grain market at Alampur on the Dasuya-Miani link road. PTI COR CHS VN VN
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