Agitated farmers on Thurs¬day reachedMohalito protest against the National GrcenTri- bunal (NGT) orders on stuh- hle burning and demanded the financial assistance to set up machinery to deal with crop residues.
The protest was led by Bharti Kissan Union (Ekta) (BKIJ) Sidupur, whose mem- berseven demonstrated stub¬ble bu ruing before they were stopped by Mohali police at Chandigarh-Mohali border. The agitating farmers were adamant to march towards Punjab chief minister Cap¬tain Amarindcr Singh's offi¬cial residence in Chandi¬garh.
The president of BKU (Ekta) Sidupur, JagjeetSingh Dallewal, said that the farm¬ers have no other option than burning the crop residues. He said the NGT orders restricting the farm¬ers from stubble burning were not feasible till the gov¬ernment would not imple¬ment NGT directions to pro¬vide financial assistancetoset up machinery to avoid stub¬ble burning.
"A cost of ?8,000 per acre is needed to maintain the land. Due to this, only the farmers are forced to face the conse-quences. We will not take back step till thegovernment does not make practical arrangements.The poor fann¬ers arc not capable to set up huge machinery required to deal with crop residues. The farmers will start stubble burning in the fields from 1 October onwards," he said.
Similarly, general secre¬tary of BKIJ (Ekta) Sidupur, Bogh Singh Mansa said that farmers need a reversible plough which costs ? 1.9 lakh to deal with crop residues.
"To run this plough we need a Tractor of not less than 65 break horsepower. I low many farmers can afford til is c ost ? Even if it is ploughed, this will surelycreate a prob¬lem of fungus and mite for the next crop and the farmers will have to again bear the extra cost of sprays to check fun¬gus and mite," he said.
The farmer leaders have said tliat the paddy harvest¬ing session isapproaching in October.
They said the NGT order is an another burden on the debt ridden farmers. In a let¬ter written to the NGT, the farmers have sought the sup¬ply of machinery free of cost, which is required to stop stubble burning.
The farmers have also sought direction to be issued tothe Punjab government to pay a compensation of ?5,000 peracretillthemachineryis not provided to them. Adding to this, they have sought a bonus of ?300 per acre on paddy procurement.