Farmers on roads over demands
As a mark of protest in support of their demands, farmers of Rajasthan stopped trucks supplying milk and vegetables to different parts on Saturday. Farmer leaders have been demanding purchase of the produce at minimum support price (MSP) and implementation of Swaminathan Commission report.
Although there was no significant impact in Jaipur because of sufficient stock for the next couple of days, there are concerns that vegetable prices could soar if the ‘Gaon Bandh’ continues for the next few days.
The worst affected district was Sriganganagar, where milk and vegetable supplies were disrupted. There were further reports of farmers spilling milk on roads from Jaipur rural in Chomu and Shahpura. Among the other districts that shared the brunt of the agitation were Bikaner, Hanumangarh and Churu.
To top it all, the cooperative dairies were reluctant to procure milk due to the ongoing protest. Jaipur Dairy chairman Om Prakash Punia wrote to chief secretary D B Gupta requesting him to ensure adequate security for milk tankers in view of the agitation.
Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh member Santveer Singh, on the other hand, said that farmers are trying their best to not cause any inconvenience to public by setting up vegetable and milk kiosks at different places in Sriganganagar where the products are being sold at a fair price.
Kisan Mahapanchayat leader Rampal Jat said that the idea behind the agitation was to create a ripple and shift the ‘bargaining power’ from urban to rural areas.
“The gaon bandh is a Brahmastra (ultimate weapon), but we have also issued an appeal that the agitation be non-violent. The idea is to draw the attention of the policy makers to our problems,” he said.
The farmer associations will hold a massive rally to mark ‘Balram Diwas’ in Tonk near Jaipur on June 13.
District collector Siddharth Mahajan said that the administration has been monitoring the situation closely and is in talk with the cooperative federations to ensure that the supply is not disrupted.
JAIPUR: