Haryana farmers protest delay in procurement of paddy, block highway

Farmers put up a road blockade on two highways in Ambala district on Wednesday to protest alleged non-procurement of paddy at the designated centres by government agencies.

The vehicular traffic on the Ambala-Hisar and Ambala-Jagadhri highways was affected due to the road blockade.

Hundreds of farmers had put their tractors and trolleys in the middle of the highways and sat on a dharna there.

They blocked the Ambala-Hisar Highway near the city while the Ambala-Jagadhri Highway was blocked near Saha village.

Police had diverted the traffic on the highways through alternate routes.

Police force has been deployed in various grain markets and highways, police said.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders Sukhwinder Singh Jalbera and Ramesh Rana said that the farmers started bringing their paddy in various grain markets of Ambala district for the last few days.

They claimed that their produce is not being purchased and it has been lying in the open area of the grain market.

In Kurukshetra district, farmers had held protests at various mandis, alleging delay in paddy procurement and a lack of coordination between the government departments and various agencies.

The state government had started procurement in Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar from Sunday, while in other districts it began on Tuesday.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said that the farmers will not be allowed to face any problem in the procurement process.

He had asked the procurement agencies to immediately lift the procured paddy from Wednesday.

Haryana BKU leader Gurnam Singh had said farmers were facing problems in various mandis of the state as well.