SAD to Pb govtChandigarh, Oct 13 (PTI) Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) has asked the Congress government in Punjab to announcefinancial package to help farmers in managing crop residue.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said his party wouldstand with the farming community "and not let them (farmers)be bullied into managing paddy stubble on their own withoutany assistance from the Congress government".
He said, "The SAD will not allow any cases to beregistered against farmers for burning stubble in despairafter failing to get any assistance from the state governmentto tackle the problem.""Our stand is clear. It is the responsibility of thegovernment to help farmers manage crop residue due to the hugecosts involved in this task. In case it is unable to do so, itcannot harass, threaten, penalise and register cases againstfarmers," Badal said.
"We will protest... and will not let the brave farmers ofPunjab who have provided food security to the nation to bevictimised in any manner," he said in a statement here.
Badal also asked the government to immediately announce afinancial package for the distraught farmers.
"It needs to be understood that the Punjab farmer isalways ready to work for social good. However at this moment,farmers are under deep financial stress and cannot be expectedto pay for the management of crop residue after harvesting ofpaddy.
"The government must step in immediately and pay theactual cost of doing so by giving farmers financial assistanceof Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per acre. If the government does notdo this then it cannot force farmers to incur this cost onthemselves," he said.
The SAD president also asked the government to explainwhat it had done for the welfare of farmers in the last sixmonths.
"It should explain why it has not implemented the completeloan waiver promised by it... It should tell why it isrefusing to come to the aid of farmers despite that fact thatmore than 250 farmers have committed suicide in the last sixmonths," he said.
Meanwhile, an official spokesperson said the Congressgovernment was going all out to resolve the stubble burningissue in the interest of all concerned, and rejected Akalileaders' allegations that it was "victimising" the farmersinstead of helping them.
Asserting that there was no question of penalising thefarming community, the spokesperson said Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh had made his government's stand on this issueamply clear. PTI SUNNSD.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.