People's Democracy

HISSAR, HARYANA    

Farmers Lay Siege On Commissioner�s Office

ON September 1, a large number of drought affected farmers marched in a massive procession in Hissar, Haryana, under the banner of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), demanding official declaration of some of the regions as drought hit and compensation for the crop losses. Drawn from districts of the Hissar division, these aggrieved farmers including women laid a virtual siege to the administrative complex, bringing halt to all the administrative activities.

The AIKS has been continuing a dharna at the Hissar commissioner�s office for drought relief to the worst affected regions along the Rajasthan border. A deep resentment is prevailing among the peasantry against the Haryana government�s recent step of reducing the rates of crop loss compensation to half, i.e. from Rs 5000 to Rs 2700 per acre for wheat, paddy, cotton etc and from Rs 4000 to Rs 2100 per acre for other crops.

Office bearers of the Haryana Kisan Sabha made scathing attacks on the Hooda government for not ordering a special girdawari to assess the extent of damage to crops due to failure of the monsoon. Its state general secretary Harpal Singh, a former MLA, announced amid high applause that all protesters would stay back indefinitely if the administration failed to settle the issues amicably. CPI(M) state secretary Inderjit Singh supported the gathering on behalf of his party and demanded immediate relief to the affected people. Others who addressed the protesters included Dayanand Poonia, Krishan Swarup, Sampat Kaur, Phool Sing Sheokand, Pradeep Singh and Ram Swarup.

In the meantime, the agitated and agitating farmers resorted to a rood block in front of the mini secretariat. The leaders have announced that they would not lift the blockade until the government gave up its callous attitude.

Such actions were also held at divisional commissioner�s offices in Ambala, Gurgaon and Rohtak at the call of the AIKS.