Punjab farmers set to resume their protests from November 4

Protesting farmers alleged that the Punjab government is not serious regarding farmers;

Several farmers' unions, including Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) and farm labourers, today announced that they will resume their agitation from November 4 to 6 in support of their demands, including compensation for crop damage.

Rallies and dharnas would be staged in front of district administrative complexes in Amritsar and Moga from November 4 to 6, BKU (Ekta) general secretaries Joginder Singh and Sukhdev Singh said here.

The two leaders held a meeting with the activists of eight farmers' unions, they said.

They alleged that the Punjab government is not serious regarding farmers; demands for which their organizations had launched seven-day 'Rail Roko' stir earlier.

The leaders declared that if state government failed to concede to their demands, the farmers' union would hold an urgent meeting on November 7 to chalk out next line of action.

They said that farmers were demanding Rs 40,000 per acre compensation for damage caused to cotton crop due to the white fly pest attack.

Other demands include Rs 20,000 compensation to farm labourers, Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of farmers who committed suicide and clearance of sugar mills due, they said.