Protest for compensation goes on; rail blockade from Sept 28

BATHINDA: The farmer organisations affiliated to Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) continued to protest outside the residences of various leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP on Tuesday to press for fair compensation for loss of crops due to floods.
The call for a three-day protest which started on Monday will continue till Wednesday.
Various farm organisations held protests at different places, including near the residence of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Man at Sangrur and sports minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Tuesday.
The leaders of farmer organisations said the Punjab government had offered Rs 6,800 per acre compensation under the state disaster response fund for damage to crops, which was “highly inadequate”.
They also demanded compensation for damages to houses. The farmer leaders demanded that the central government should announce a special package of Rs 10,000 crore for Punjab.
The SKM has also decided to hold protests across the country on September 22 if the compensation was not given to aggrieved farmers for damages to crops due to floods in various states, including Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, in Ferozepur, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, announced that it would block rail tracks from September 28 to protest the “anti-farmer” policies of the BJP-led central government.
The committee is demanding MSP on 23 crops, cancellation of cases registered against farm activists during various protests, compensation to the families of farmers who were martyred during farm protests, stopping installation of smart meters, providing 200 days of employment and double the daily wages under MNREGA, and making the country free from corporate houses.