MOHALI: The YPS crossing at Mohali-Chandigarh borders echoed with victory slogans raised by protesting farmers after the Bhagwant Mann led state government bowed before their protest and accepted their demands.
Conceding the demand of state farmers, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced fresh schedule for staggered sowing of paddy to June 14 and June 17 thus now restricting the number of total zones as decided earlier from four to just two.
However, the border belt across the fence has been excluded from the zonal restrictions and the farmers of this region have been allowed to sow paddy from June 10.
After holding three hours long meeting with Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, CM Bhagwant Mann’s representative Minister for Rural Development Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal reached the protest spot at YPS crossing and announced that state government has agreed with all the demands of the farmers and requested them to return.
Kuldeep Dhaliwal said, "AAP government in the state is of the farmers, for the farmers and by the farmers. CM Bhagwant Mann has accepted all your demands and allowed sowing of Paddy from June 10 for farmers near borders and other from June 14 and June 17. The demand of MSP is also accepted by the government. CM Mann said that Paddy sowing has been divided into two zones and has asked the farmer leaders to submit the submission declaring the zones."
Dhaliwal announced that fulfilling the government’s firm commitment to ensure MSP on Moong Dal crop CM Bhagwant Mann has already issued a notification to procure the entire crop on MSP of Rs 7275 per quintal. He also assured the farmers that the state government is already in the mode of finalizing modalities to procure maize too on MSP to give boost to its ambitious programe of crop diversification.
Dhaliwal said that CM Bhagwant Mann urged the union leaders to give him some time for at least one year to bring farmer friendly reforms in the agriculture sector. He said, "Please bear with me and I assure you that I will make your organization free from agitations". The Chief Minister said his doors of office as well as residence are always open to resolve any issue related to farmers’ welfare with open mind through mutual dialogue to entire satisfactions of all the stakeholders. At the same time, he also urged them to shun the path of agitation and if they had any grouse against the government then they should sit across the table to finally find an amicable solution.
Dhaliwal said that responding to another issue raised by the representatives of farm unions, Bhagwant Mann unequivocally said that the state government would soon come out with a comprehensive policy for bestowing ownership rights on the cultivators who had been in possession of Panchayat land and cultivating the same since long to convert the barren land into cultivable. Dhaliwal said, “The Chief Minister also asked me to convene a meeting with the representatives of farm associations to resolve this issue at the earliest.” He, however, said that the state government’s vigorous campaign to get the Government or Panchayat land free from illegal possession will continue till its last inch is finally vacated.
Dhaliwal added that on the issue of MSP for Basmati, the Chief Minister also said that he would call on the Union Home Minister Amit Shah tomorrow to impress upon the Government of India to immediately announce MSP on Basmati so as to encourage our farmers to go for its cultivation in a big way by shifting from water guzzling paddy thus conserving the water, the state’s only precious natural resource for our future generations. He also told the members of SKM that he would also take up the contentious issue of BBMB with Amit Shah for expeditious resolution to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
Thereafter the farers held religious discourse at the protest site before dispersing. Then they started their tractor trolleys and returned to their respective districts.
