On day of House panel visit, another farmer commits suicide in Mansa
MANSA: A five-member committee of the Vidhan Sabha led by Congress MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria visited Mansa and met around a dozen suicide-hit families of farmers on Friday morning. Barely three hours before that, around 5.30 am, yet another farmer killed himself at Dalel Singh Wala village in the district.
The victim, Ajmer Singh (45), who owned eight acres of land, was reportedly under a debt of Rs 11 lakh and killed himself by consuming a pesticide. Inquest proceedings were initiated.
Meanwhile, the committee set up by speaker Rana KP Singh to review farmers’ suicides, including Congress’ Nathu Ram and Kuljit Nagra, AAP’s Nazar Singh Manshahia, and SAD’s Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra, said it will prepare a report on the overall issue to be tabled in the House in three months.
Interacting with the media at Kishangarh, Sarkaria said the purpose of meeting farmers and their families was to seek their views for ways to curb suicides. “It is our duty to bring farmers out of this distressing situation. We will visit most of the constituencies of the state,” said Sarkaria. However, he refused to dwell. “As the report has to be tabled in the assembly, here I will not be able to suggest which are the prime reasons,” he said. The committee also clarified that the families for the meeting were chosen on random basis.
It will hold similar meetings in Bathinda on Saturday.
MANSA IN SPOTLIGHT
In the past week, Mansa district and its farmers have remained in the spotlight. Last Friday, CM Capt Amarinder Singh visited to review the whitefly attack on cotton. Later, AAP MLA and leader of opposition Sukhpal Khaira visited the same two villages. Then, SAD MP and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal visited cotton fields here and promised to send a team of experts from Delhi. On Thursday, the team of experts visited cotton fields in 14 villages. On Friday, the assembly panel came calling.