Agri dept destroys paddy sown before mandated date in Muktsar, Sunam
GOVT GETS TOUGH Issues notices, says offenders may also be denied subsidies
BATHINDA: In a toughening of stand, the agriculture department has issued notices to 10 farmers in Bathinda for sowing paddy in violation of orders to not do it before June 20. Last year, this date was June 15.
In Muktsar, officials destroyed such paddy on two acres of paddy in Mehna village in Lambi block and three acres on Kacha Bhagsar road. In Sangrur district, too, paddy was destroyed at Chhajli village near Sunam on Tuesday.
The government had fixed the date to preserve water and put some check on the fast depleting groundwater table in the state. This will also have helped by aligning the paddy sowing dates with onset of monsoon.
The government claim is that the move will save 24 lakh million litres of water in five days.
Farm unions claim that delaying the sowing of paddy to June 20 will result in high moisture content in the crop, resulting in agencies not purchasing it, besides delaying the sowing of the wheat crop.
‘POWER TO BE SNAPPED’
State agriculture department director JS Bains also held a meeting with the officials of department on Tuesday “If our appeals do not work, the government might resort to snapping power connection of tubewells of farmers, who continue to violate orders,” he added.
The state government has also asked respective district administrations to prepare lists of farmers who have sown the paddy crop before the mandated date. These farmers will be declared ineligible for subsidies in agriculture.
District agriculture officer Gurditta Singh said that notices have been issued to eight farmers in Talwandi Sabo region and two in Rampura Phul for violating the orders. He said farmers had been asked to uproot the transplanted paddy or a penalty of ₹10,000 per hectare will be imposed on them.
“In Bathinda, paddy, in violation of orders, has been sown only on 50 acres. The crop of farmers violating the order will not be purchased, while the agriculture department can resort to uproot the early sown crop anytime between sowing and ripening,” he added. Muktsar chief agriculture officer Baljinder Singh Brar said,
“Our staff is keeping a strict vigil. If any farmer will sow paddy before the scheduled date, the department will destroy the crop at the expenses of the farmer.”
FARMERS PROTEST
Meanwhile, hundreds of farmers protested opposite the offices of the SDO and executive engineers
in Muktsar and Mansa. Gurbhagat Singh Bhlaiana, president, Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) said, “We demand 16-hour electricity supply for farmers as they are not in a position to spend on diesel engines to water the crop.”
In Bathinda, farmers under