Farmers begin indefinite protest in Yamunanagar

PROTESTERS ACCUSED KHATTAR OF BETRAYING FARMING COMMUNITY BY NOT ENSURING THEIR DUES BY AUG 31

KARNAL: Over two weeks after Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s assurance that pending payments of sugarcane farmers will be cleared by the mills by August 31, the cane growers began an indefinite strike outside the mini-secretariat in Yamunanagar on Saturday.

The protesting farmers accused Khattar of betraying the farming community, while leaders of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) threatened to continue the agitation till the pending payment of over Rs 200 crore is cleared by three private sugarmills of the state.

The decision of indefinite protest was taken during a meeting held in Yamunanagar on Friday and the farmers had blocked Yamunanagar-jagadhri road. Later, Yamunanagar deputy commissioner Girish Arora reached the site and assured that the payments will be disbursed in one week. The farmers agreed to lift the blockade but decided to hold the protest till they get their payment. “The chief minister had already betrayed us as he could not keep his promise made during August 29 meeting in Chandigarh, now, the protest will continue until we get the payment,” said union’s district president Sanju Gundiana.

He said the private mills are making the most of the helplessness of farmers in lack of action from the government. The payment is pending with the three private mills of Yamunanagar, Bhadson (Karnal) and Naraingarh (Ambala) for the past four months.

Earlier, the mills were making excuses on the pretext of decline in sugar prices; now, the prices have increased to Rs 38 per kg but the mills are still reluctant to make the payments, the farmers said.