The farmers of different villages of Mand area alongside the Beas have succeeded in creating organisational pressure to make the administration agree to conduct girdawari to assess the loss of wheat and other rabi (haari) crops.

The crop damage took place two months back due to the unexpected release of water in the river. Mostly, water is released in the rivers in the rainy season which falls from July to October.

The farmers who had sown wheat and other rabi crops at the start of December month suddenly saw their fields flooded with water resulting in damage to crops. Those affected were the farmers of Mand area, Mundapind, Gujarpura, Dhunda, Jauhal Dhae Wala, Bhail Dhai Wala, Gharka and other villages whose newly sown wheat and other crops in hundreds of acres were lost.

The farmers have been urging the officials to assess the loss by way of girdawari but no one was ready to listen to their woes. The farmers under the banner of Harh Peedat Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab (Flood Affected Farmers’ Union, Punjab) announced to stage a dharna in front of the District Administrative Complex (DAC).

Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia and Sukhwant Singh Gill, farmer leaders, said that the administration convened a meeting chaired by the Deputy Commissioner recently and assured of conducting girdawari to estimate the crop loss.

After the loss, the affected farmers had failed to sow their crops again in the affected areas and as a result, they lost their one crop. The union leaders apprised the officials that there were a number of farmers who have not been given the compensation of Rs 6,800 per acre for the loss that took place due to floods in July, 2023.

There are a large number of farmers whose land is filled with silt and sand brought from the river which has turned their fields infertile. These farmers have been demanding compensation but the government is yet to think of it.

The government has not released compensation for the damage to houses and cattle loss. Thousands of farmers were affected but the administration remained a mute spectator.

Source - https://www.tribuneindia.com