Thursday, 29 FEBRUARY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) is planning to stage sit-in outside the chief minister’s residence to protest against the State government’s nonchalance with the plight of the farmers whose dues the brokers at Niranjanpur Mandi are not clearing.
Informing this, BKU head Somdutt Sharma said on Wednesday that the farmers’ appeal for prompt clearance of their dues for the past few days have fallen on deaf ears. “They staged a six-hour stir on February 19 during which they blocked the entrance of the mandi. With the protest on, the sub-divisional magistrate and other senior officials came and appealed to the protestors to withdraw it with the assurance that steps would be taken soon to redress their grievances. Subsequently, a meeting was held between the brokers and the officials during which the brokers pleaded their inability to pay due to insolvency. With the stalemate continuing, our outfit demanded the brokers to hand over their shops in the mandi to the farmers for six months on the condition that after their dues are cleared, the farmers would hand over the shops back to the brokers,” he added.
“The brokers initially agreed,” he continued, “but a few days later, they backed down, emboldened by the officials’ indulgence. This has left the farmers with no other option but to plan another protest. This time, we are contemplating to stage a stir outside the chief minister’s residence.”
Sharma further said that as per the decision of BKU meeting held on February 26, they would try to meet the State agriculture minister Ganesh Joshi to apprise him of the farmers’ plight due to the collusion between the officials and the brokers. “In case the meeting fails to materialise or the minister fails to address our issues, we would fix the date of our sit-in outside the CM’s residence,” the farmer leader said.
To recall, the farmers had earlier alleged that brokers in the Mandi have been irregular in settling their dues for some years and due to the amount mounting, the farmers were finding it difficult to carry on with their agricultural activities.
