CHANDIGARH: Along the Indian side of the Indo-Pak border, around 21,000 acres have become a source of daily anxiety. Around 12,000 farmers from Punjab’s Fazilka, Ferozepur, Taran Tarn, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts are not being able to cultivate their land and are incurring huge losses.
They said the Border Security Force does not open all the gates of the fence and they are not being able to go to their land. Recently, around 90 per cent of farmers, who own 18,000 acres, want the government to buy their land.
The government had long ago put up a fence a little inside the Indian side to prevent arms and drugs smuggling, and infiltration. The fence cuts into the Indian territory right through farmers’ fields hindering them from farming.
Raghbir Singh, President of Punjab Border Kishan Welfare Society, said, “We held a meeting and decided that the farmers will stop cultivating their lands. The BSF opens the gates on rotation between 9 am and 4 pm.
A lot of time is wasted in checking ID cards and farm equipment. Moreover, farmers have to walk 2 km to get to their fields and once the checks are over, little time is left to cultivate the fields.”
Also, if a water pump stops functioning, farmers have to ask the BSF to fix it and it takes days altogether.
“We met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in November and Additional DGP (BSF) and were assured that our problems will be solved but nothing has been done till date.
Despite instructions from senior officers, jawans still check lunch boxes of farmers. Also, we are not allowed to grow any crop that will cross three feet and our only options are wheat and paddy,” says Surjit Singh Bhura Vice President Punjab Border Kishan Welfare Society.
The farmers have sent a memorandum to the force and a meeting is scheduled for Monday. IGP (Punjab Frontier) of BSF, Anil Paliwal said, “We hold meetings with farmers from time to time and ensure that their problems are solved. We walk a tight rope and security cannot be compromised.”