BARGARH: Hundreds of farmers from various blocks of the district gheraoed the Bargarh collector’s office on Tuesday demanding immediate withdrawal of the paddy procurement registration norms introduced by the state government for the current kharif season The agitators, under the banner of Jai Kisan Andolan, called for a simple, farmer-friendly process instead of the new system, which they claimed has made registration difficult for a majority of cultivators.
Led by district president Sushil Sahu, the farmers first took out a protest march from Gopal Goshala. They moved through the town raising slogans before assembling at the collectorate gate. Despite repeated calls to receive their memorandum, neither the collector nor any representative came forward, prompting the farmers to force open the gate and enter the collector’s office premises.
The situation was brought under control after additional district magistrate Madhu Chhanda Sahu and senior police officials intervened. Sahu later accepted the memorandum. The agitators claimed that the new norms have created hurdles for farmers, particularly due to a clause requiring lineage records for registration.
In many areas including Bargarh, over 60-70 per cent of farmers hold joint pattas that have not been separated for decades due to lack of land settlement updates. As a result, those without updated records are being denied registration. Quoting official figures, farmer leader Hara Bania said, “Last year, 1,55,617 farmers were registered in Bargarh for paddy procurement.
This year, only 58,808 farmers have been able to register so far. How can the remaining nearly one lakh farmers be registered in just seven days? This is an impossible situation which the government has created for us.” Convenor of Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan Samanwaya Samiti (POKSSS), Lingaraj threatened to intensify the agitation if the government fails to roll back the new registration policy and extend the deadline.
“It is the government’s responsibility to ensure smooth registration, transparent procurement and timely disbursal of input subsidies. Yet, farmers are forced to take to the streets year after year to demand what is rightfully theirs. If the government does not withdraw this antifarmer registration policy and give us more time, it will prove that it is against the farmers.
From August 21, we will burn effigies of the chief minister, local MLAs and MPs,” he said. The Jai Kisan Andolan demanded that the government should extend the paddy registration deadline till September 20, allow self-declaration-based registration as done in previous seasons, ensure speedy correction of land records and resolve land consolidation disputes within a fixed time-frame besides purchasing paddy from borewell-irrigated fields outside the Hirakud command area at the same per-acre quantity as irrigated land.