Around 250 farmers from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Punjab and the BKU (Qadian) staged a protest at the district administrative complex on Saturday, demanding immediate action regarding the delayed lifting of paddy from grain markets.
Amrik Singh, president of the BKU Qadian’s Jalandhar unit, issued an ultimatum, urging the administration to begin lifting the paddy by the evening. If their demands were not met, they threatened to block the national highway at Phillaur and the state highway at Mehatpur starting Sunday.
Amrik Singh warned of escalating the protest, promising statewide roadblocks within two days if the issue remained unresolved. “We have been waiting in the mandis since October 1 for the lifting to start, but no officials, including tehsildars or SDMs, have addressed our concerns,” he said.
Kuljit Singh, vice-president of BKU (Qadian), expressed frustration over the administration’s double standards. While farmers face threats of FIRs for burning stubble, no action has been taken against officials responsible for delaying the paddy lifting. He demanded accountability from the government.
Lakhbir Singh, president of BKU (Punjab), added that the farmers had complied with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s appeal to harvest early varieties of paddy, which aimed to conserve water. However, despite their early harvest, they have been waiting for the lifting to begin since October 1, causing significant distress.