Farmers gherao agriculture minister’s house
Friday, 06/11/2015
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MOGA: Farmers from different outfits on Thursday gheraoed the private residence of Punjab agriculture minister Tota Singh here as part of their three-day agitation at Moga and Amritsar to press for their demands, which included appropriate compensation for crop damage.
The farmers gheraoed the residence located on GT Road here for three hours. However, their agitation was peaceful, police said. Addressing the protesting farmers, BKU (Ekta) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said their peaceful agitation would continue till November 6.
“If the demands are not accepted, leaders of all eight farmer unions and four Khet Mazdoor unions would meet on November 7 here to give final touches to another mode of agitation,” he said.
The farmers are demanding a compensation of`40,000 per acre for cotton crop damaged by whitefly attack, `20,000 per acre in damages to farm labourers and `5 lakh to families of farmers who committed suicide.
Their demands also include `5,000 per quintal for basmati and jobs to families of farmers who had committed suicide in view of the failed crops.
