Farmers block road traffic in Punjab

Farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) today blocked road traffic at various places in Punjab in protest against the Centre for not fulfilling its promise of implementing M S Swaminathan Commission report to ensure remunerative prices for crops.
The farmers blockaded, between 11 AM and 3 PM, the traffic moving from Punjab and Haryana to Delhi at several places including at Mehalkalan in Sangrur, Ludhiana-Jalandhar road, Banur and Ludhiana-Rajpura, causing inconvenience to commuters.
BKU Lakhowal president Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, who is also Chairman of Punjab Mandi Board, accused the central government of failing in honouring its election promise of implementing Swaminathan Commission report which recommended 50 per cent profit over and above the cost of production to growers.

"Centre has defrauded with farmers by not fulfilling its poll promise of implementing Swaminathan Commission report to ensure growers remunerative prices to them. BJP had promised in its elections manifesto that it would implement commission report once it came to power. But it failed to do so," he said addressing agitating farmers at Mehalkalan, Lakhowal.
"Now the Centre is shying away from implementing Swaminathan Commission report and it is hell bent upon finishing farming community with anti-farmers policies," he alleged.
He warned of intensifying campaigns against the Centre if it failed to pay heed to problems of growers.
Agitating farmers are also demanding farm debt waiver, compensation for cotton growers of Punjab and Haryana, fixation of Rs 5,000 per quintal as MSP for basmati rice crop, insurance for crops and pension scheme for farmers.