After HC order, farmers shift protest venue to grain market
Farmers, who want increase in MSP of sugarcane from ₹300 to ₹350 per quintal, had earlier planned to block JalandharPhagwara highway
: Farmer unions cancelled their plan to block the national highway (NH) 1 in Phagwara on Wednesday. But protested at Phagwara grain market here for five hours.
The move came after strict directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana high court to Jalandhar and Kapurthala police to prevent the farmer unions from blocking the highway on Wednesday.
Thousands of farmers led by Doaba Sangharsh Committee along with other farmer unions had decided to block the highway a few days ago.
Farmers are demanding an increase in minimum support price (MSP) of sugarcane from ₹300 to ₹350 per quintal and early procurement of CO 0238 type of sugarcane, which is usually lifted in January every year.
Harman Singh Sidhu , president of NGO Arrive Safe Society, Chandigarh had filed a petition against the roadblock call by farmer unions before the high court.
As per the petition, it was requested to the district authorities of Kapurthala and Jalandhar to protect life, liberty and property of the public and those who commute through NH1, particularly from Chaheru Bridge, GT Road. Following this, police forces were deployed on the highway.
Sources said, the police had approached the farmer union representatives on Tuesday night and convinced them to not block the highway in wake of the court’s orders.
Following this, the farmers only protested at the grain market in Phagwara. Punjab Doaba Sangharsh Committee president Manjeet Singh Rai said, a memorandum was submitted to the Kapurthala deputy commissioner Mohammad Tayyab.
Rai appealed to the farmers to take up their demands before Capt Amarinder Singh.
He said that they will announce their further course of action if their demands are not considered.
Deputy inspector general (DIG) Jaskaran Singh along with Kapurthala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Sharma also reviewed the security arrangements and interacted with the farmers.
SUGAR MILL OWNERS SEEK NO HIKE IN CANE PRICES
Claiming that any increase in state advised price (SAP) of sugarcane above the current rate of Rs 300 per quintal, will make their business unviable, sugar producers of Punjab has sought no increase in the SAP. SAP is the price at which mill owners buy sugarcane from farmers.
Rana Inder Partap Singh, who runs a sugar mill in Amritsar, who addressed a press conference, jointly with other owners of other sugar mills in the state, said, “We are already paying Rs 45 more than the Fixed Remunerative Price (FRP) of Rs 255 per quintal that the centre has decided.”
Rajinder Singh Raju Chadha, who owns Dasuya sugar mill, said, “With the rise in production, sugar prices are expected to fall. We are incurring huge losses, as a quintal of sugar is selling for Rs 3,550 per quintal, while our cost is Rs 4,100 per quintal.” Rana Inderbir said lots of sugar was imported from Pakistan, the landing cost of which was Rs 3,650 per quintal. “We are not demanding FRP fixed by the Centre, because cane prices cannot be reduced, but to save sugar mill owners cane prices should not be increased beyond the existing price,” he added.