Charge pollution cess, don’t penalise us: Farmers to govt

CHANDIGARH: Lambasting the Punjab government for “penalising” paddy growers for burning stubble, several farmers’ outfits on Monday instead pitched the idea of “pollution cess” for raising adequate funds to curb the menace.

Farmers’ organisations, including the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), BKU (Lakhowal), BKU (Ugrahan), BKU (Sidhupur) and Kisan Sangharsh Samiti were invited to a meeting with chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh here to discuss their issues.

However, the much-awaited meeting proved to be a futile exercise as nothing conclusive came out of it, claimed leaders of the organisations after the meeting.

“Farmers are unnecessarily being blamed for polluting environment. We do not have resources to dispose of the stubble through an environmentfriendly way as it involves huge expenditure.

“The government, which has expressed helplessness in providing funds to curb crop burning, should raise money. It can raise it through various means such as imposing pollution cess so that farmers can be given financial help to dispose of stubble,” BKU (Kadiyan) president Harmeet Singh Kadiyan said.

Farmers have been demanding ₹200 per quintal for the disposal of crop residue.

The CM told farmers that his government had no plans to install power meters on tubewells. CM issued directions for installation pending tubewell connections on priority and asked DCS to hold a meeting on the 5th of every month to resolve claims of the families of the farmers who committed suicide. Chief principal secretary Suresh Kumar assured the sugarcane farmers that their pending bills, amounting to ₹71 crore, would soon be cleared. BATHINDA:: Police have arrested two persons under the NDPS Act and recovered 125kg of poppy husk from their possession.

Accused Sunil Kumar, a resident of Barnala, and Avtar Singh a resident of Ramgarh here were arrested when they were brining the banned substance in a truck bearing registration number PB-11-CF3929 near Katar Singh Wala village.

Police have also booked truck owner Seak Singh in this connection.

THE CM SAID THE GOVT WILL BRING IN AN AGRICULTURE POLICY IN THE NEXT SESSION OF THE VIDHAN SABHA