Farmers block highway in Phagwara
PHAGWARA : Members of seven farmers’ union blocked the Jalandhar-Delhi national highway in Phagwara on Tuesday to protest non-payment of dues by the state government and delay in crushing by private mills.
This came two weeks after a ‘rail roko’ agitation by sugarcane growers in Hoshiarpur district. The agitation started at 10am near Phagwara Sugar Mill and was later shifted to the national highway at 3pm. The protesters walked around 2km on the highway before blocking one side near DAV College at 4pm.
Traffic from Jalandhar towards Chandigarh and Ludhiana was hit after farmers blocked both sides of the highway and the service lane at around 5pm.
Farmers said they were forced to come on roads by “antifarmer” policies of the state government as private sugar mills failed to clear their pending dues while crushing season is yet to start. Baldev Singh Sirsa, president of Lok Bhalla Insaaf Welfare Society, said, “There is 20% more production of cane this year and the season will last up to June. But private mills, which are responsible for crushing 70% of the total cane production, have not yet started operations. It will increase expenses of farmers including high cost of labour if crushing is delayed any further.”
He added that farmers decided to hold the protest as the state government failed to keep their promise after which dharna was lifted from the Jalandhar-Pathankot national highway and railway track at Dasuya.
Kapurthala SSP Satinder Singh said over 100 policemen were deployed in Phagwara to maintain law and order after over 2,000 farmers came with tents, beddings and food to protest and announced an indefinite protest till their demands are met.
The protest was on till filing of this report with long queue of stranded vehicles on both sides.
In November last year, farmers had announced a protest for increase in minimum support price (MSP) of sugarcane and early procurement of crop. The farmer unions, however, called off the plan after the high court issued strict directions to Jalandhar and Kapurthala police to prevent farmer unions from blocking the highway.