The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, April 4
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday demanded immediate release of compensation at the rate of Rs 50,000 per acre to farmers whose wheat crop has been destroyed by incessant rain, high-velocity winds and hail storms across twenty lakh hectares during the past more than one fortnight.
Expressing shock at the apathetic attitude of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, the SAD president said “what is the chief minister waiting for? The complete destruction of the wheat crop in nearly half of the State is there for all to see. It has also been corroborated by agricultural experts. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had also promised to give compensation immediately after crop damage on the ‘Delhi Model’ and should make good its promise instead of delaying the assessment procedure to deny relief to farmers as it had done last year also. Farmers have not received compensation for damage done to wheat and cotton crops last year which should also be given immediately”, he added.
Sukhbir Badal said disturbing reports were coming in the media that revenue officials and deputy commissioners had been directed not to give maximum damage awards to farmers. “This effectively means the AAP government is even running away from giving compensation of Rs 15,000 per acre to farmers”. Warning the government not to indulge in such anti-farmer and inhuman policies, Badal said the SAD would launch an agitation in case injustice was done to farmers. He also demanded that compensation for farm labourers be increased to Rs 10,000 per acre and losses suffered by leaseholders be taken into account.
Asking the chief minister to get proactive instead of remaining busy in propagating his boss Arvind Kejriwal’s message across the country, Badal demanded that the AAP government take up the issue of value cuts which farmers feared would be put on their wheat harvest with the central government immediately. “The central government should be asked not to put any value cuts on excess moisture and discoloration of grains due to the special circumstances”.
