“No solution for stubble-stubble pollution,” says Pandher in Amritsar: Warning of protest on farmer’s arrest; Farmers’ meeting to be held in Chandigarh tomorrow.”
Punjab’s Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (Farmers’ Labour Struggle Committee) chief, Sarvan Singh Pandher, denounced the federal and state governments’ policies as “anti-farmer”.
He asserts that the pollution problem has long remained unsolved and that, in spite of Supreme Court orders, a plan to compensate farmers per quintal has not yet been put into action.
Pandher added that farmers are now handling the stubble on their own dime, even though they are already in debt, because the government-provided stubble management machines have failed.
The government are not giving their crops the right price, he continued.
Rajkumar, a Jalandhar farmer, was taken into custody for setting his stubble on fire.
Farmers who burnt their stubble were fined up to ₹30,000, whereas those impacted by recent floods only received ₹20,000 in compensation.
The government has received a warning from farmer leader Sarvan Singh Pandher. He threatened to start a nationwide demonstration if the farmer who was jailed was not freed and a compensation decision was not made.
Pandher specifically charged the government with “deceiving them” by supporting companies and failing to safeguard farmers.
Tomorrow, there will be a farmers’ meeting in Chandigarh.
Pandher’s Charges:
He claims that the Punjabi and national governments have reduced the severity of penalties for industries involved in pollution-related offenses to fines instead of jail time.
On the other hand, he asserts that farmers have been subject to severe fines.
According to Pandher, just 8% of pollution comes from farm field smoke, whereas 51% comes from industries and 25% from automobiles. In spite of this, he contends that farmers bear full responsibility.
Next Meeting:
Tomorrow in Chandigarh, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha will hold an emergency meeting.
Compensation, cotton and Basmati prices, the energy board’s privatization, and the mandatory smart meter installation will all be covered at the conference.
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