Chandigarh Morcha gets stronger on third day - Thousands of farmers participate

Chandigarh Morcha gets stronger on third day - Thousands of farmers participate

Farmers' protest in Chandigarh : Over 4,000 farmers reach the border, ready for a long battle against the government.

Chandigarh/S.A.S.Nagar 3 September ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : The protest organized by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha in Chandigarh has entered its third day today. The special thing of the day was that thousands of more farmers arrived from different villages of Punjab. All the organizations gathered in front of the stage in large convoys under the leadership of their respective leaders. The protest became even stronger with the echo of slogans. While a large number of farmers arrived, hundreds of women also participated. Thousands of people listened to the speakers' views with great interest.

Today's speakers were Charanjit Singh, Rajinder Singh, Jaswinder Singh Jhabel, Inderpal Singh, Kawalpreet Singh Pannu, Gurwinder Singh Dhillon, Gur Partap Singh, Angrez Singh Bhadaur, Pavitar Singh, Jagsir Singh Chhiniwal, Tarsem Singh, Rashpal Singh, Dalvir Singh Sidhupur, Jarnail Singh Makroor, Charan Singh, Charanjit Singh Dalla, Pargat Singh, Dalwinder Singh Sherkhan, Rampal Chak Ali Sher, Dr. Satnam Singh Ajnala, Jasdeep Singh Jaito, Bhupinder Singh Daulatpura and Harjinder Singh Tanda.

The speakers said that the water crisis in Punjab is becoming serious day by day. According to the report of the Central Water Commission, 133 out of 153 blocks of Punjab have come under the critical category. The underground water has become poisonous, which is not good for crops and animals either. It is very harmful for drinking. By polluting groundwater and river water, corporate companies are earning billions in profits through water trading and are also robbing farmers of crores of profit from RO systems in homes.

Due to contaminated groundwater, there are about 10 to 15 cancer patients in every village in the western districts of Malwa and many people have died due to contaminated water. Crops have also failed in many districts of Punjab due to water pollution. 10 years ago, four villages in Fazilka district had announced to sell their land due to the bad water quality, but the government did not take any decision to stop the water from getting polluted. According to the Riparian Principle and the Constitution, previous decisions can be reconsidered after 25 years. Therefore, it was demanded that the Bhagwant Mann government should convene a special session of the Vidhan Sabha and pass a resolution to repeal Sections 78, 79 and 80 and send a resolution to the Central Government to remove these sections from the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. All discriminatory agreements should be repealed and reexamined.

Both the Central and Punjab governments are ignoring the demands related to agriculture. The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha demanded that the sugarcane rate be fixed at Rs. 500 per quintal, the principle of payment from a single counter be implemented in every mill, and the outstanding amount be paid immediately. For crop diversification, the Punjab government should guarantee the purchase of basmati, moong, maize, potato, peas and cabbage at MSP. The free trade agreements (FTAs) being signed by the central government with imperialist countries like the US and England will enslave the country's agriculture. First, our production will be stopped by bringing in cheap goods, and then the same goods will be sold at many times the price. This is outright slavery, which will not be tolerated at any cost.

The new form of land pooling policy should be repealed, which has given corporate houses an easy way to grab fertile lands. If land is to be acquired for public interest, it should be acquired in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. All the speakers today were unanimous in saying that the front is at full swing on the third day and plans to intensify it further will be drawn up by tomorrow.The presidium included Manjit Singh Dhaner, Malook Singh Hirke, Mukesh Chandra Sharma, Raghveer Singh Beniwal, Balwinder Singh Raju Aulakh, Pavitar Singh and Buta Singh Shadipur. Stage Secretary Bogh Singh Mansa, Nachhattar Singh Jaito, Jarnail Singh Makrod, Gurvinder Singh Dhillon and Jagsir Singh Chhiniwal. Right there farmers from Punjab are holding their ground at the Chandigarh-Mohali border. Thousands of tractor-trolleys from across Punjab have reached Mohali. The farmers have arrived fully prepared for a long-drawn-out struggle. Farmers at the protest site are continuously engaged in the service of preparing and distributing *langar* (community meals). On Thursday, a *langar* serving *lassi* was organized at the site. A rally was also held there.