Charge 'pollution cess', don't penalise us: Pb farmers to govt

Lambasting the Punjab government for "penalising" paddy growers for burning stubble, several farmers' outfits today instead pitched the idea of "pollution cess" for raising adequate funds to curb the menace.
Farmers' organisations including the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), BKU (Lakhowal), BKU (Ugrahan), BKU (Sidhupur) and Kisan Sangharsh Samiti were today invited to a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here to discuss their issues.
However, the much-awaited meeting proved to be a futile exercise as nothing conclusive came out of it, claimed leaders of the organisations after the meeting.
"Farmers are unnecessarily being blamed for polluting environment. We do not have resources to dispose of the stubble through an environment-friendly way as it involves huge expenditure.

"The government, which has expressed helplessness in providing funds to curb crop burning, should raise money. It can raise it through various means such as imposing pollution cess so that farmers can be given financial help to dispose of stubble," BKU (Kadiyan) president Harmeet Singh Kadiyan said.
Farmers have been demanding Rs 200 per quintal for the disposal of crop residue.

They also lashed out at the Amarinder Singh-led government for allegedly delaying implementation of the much- awaited debt waiver scheme to provide relief to stressed farmers.
"In the one-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with the chief minister, major issues such as implementation of debt waiver and stubble burning remained inconclusive," Kisan Sangharsh Samiti state president Satnam Singh Pannu said.

He added that they have "rejected the state government's debt waiver scheme", which envisaged to waive Rs 9,500 crore of crop loans.
BKU (Dakonda) general secretary Buta Singh Burjwala said he wonders why the meeting was called as "no solution to farmers' problems came out during the meeting".
"I do not know why the meeting was called? We thought some big announcements will be made by the chief minister on debt waiver issue but there was nothing of that sort," claimed Burjawala.
Many farmers unions including BKU (Rajewal), BKU (Kadiyan) and BKU (Sidhupur) boycotted the meeting with the chief minister as they were allegedly made to wait.

"We were made to wait for over 20 minutes to meet the CM. Earlier, we and our vehicles were searched by the security staff of the CM. Then we decided to boycott the meeting," BKU (Rajewal) President Balbir Singh Rajewal said.
Later, the representatives of BKU (Kadiyan) and BKU (Sidhupur) staged a sit-in outside the chief minister's residence for not being allowed to meet Amarinder Singh and raised slogans against the government.