Bargarh: Fed up with inordinate delays in registration to sell their harvested kharif paddy, farmers have written a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi outlining their grievances and seeking immediate intervention.
The issue comes as registration is underway for Rabi paddy procurement, but many farmers in Bargarh district have yet to be registered to sell their kharif harvest, triggering widespread discontent.
Despite submitting required documents, several farmers dependent on the Saharatikra mandi in Bheden block have been excluded from registration, preventing them from selling their produce.
In protest, farmers have been staging a sit-in outside the District Collector’s office since March 9, piling up paddy at the site. No resolution has been reached so far.
The matter came to the fore Monday when aggrieved farmers sent postcards to the Chief Minister outlining their grievances and seeking immediate remedial measures.
According to reports, as many as 4,804 farmers in the district failed to register due to alleged administrative lapses.
They had earlier raised the issue with the local MLA, the state Food Supplies Minister and the Chief Minister through the District Collector, but without any outcome.
Farmers previously staged a protest beginning November 10 last year in front of the Collector’s office.
At the time, Attabira MLA Nihar Ranjan Mahananda assured them that all farmers would receive tokens and be able to sell their paddy, prompting a temporary withdrawal of the agitation.
While some farmers later received tokens, many others did not, forcing them to resume their protest March 9.
With no solution in sight, farmers have now directly appealed to the Chief Minister for intervention through postcards.
They warned that their agitation would intensify if their demands were not met at the earliest.
