Sambalpur/Bargarh: After a couple of days’ stalemate due to farmers’ stir over the centralised token system for paddy procurement, the season’s first paddy was procured Thursday afternoon in Sambalpur after Rural Development Minister Sushant Singh’s assurance. The strike-weary farmers in Bargarh also called off their strike after assurance from the minister and the Collector.
The agitating farmers in Sambalpur had blocked Thursday the National Highway-53 at Bareipali as their demand to withdraw the token system was not being met. Sensing the situation going bad to worse, Singh and MLA Rohit Pujari held few rounds of discussions with the farmers before announcing that their demand has been accepted.
However, the farmers continued their strike. They said that they will call it off only paddy procurement is done without token. Eventually, the supply department procured 1,507 packets of paddy from seven farmers at Bareipali market. Three of the seven had had no token with them. The tokens issued to them just before the procurement started. Then only the road blockade was lifted.
Likewise, the farmers in Bargarh district had obstructed National Highway-53, in front of Godbhaga Samaleswari temple Thursday morning. Hundreds of vehicles were seen stranded on either side of the road.
Collector Jyotiranjan Pradhan, Bargarh MLA and District Planning Committee Chairman Debesh Acharya, Singh held discussions with the farmers. Pradhan then assured the farmers, promising them verbally that any amount of paddy coming to the yards would be procured without token.
But the farmers stuck to their guns, demanding a written assurance. Then another round of discussion took place after which Singh and Acharya promised them that their paddy would be procured even if they do not have tokens. They also promised them that the administration would clear the paddy heaped on the National Highway-53.
Then only the farmers’ stir was called off and the paddy piled up on the NH-53 was lifted.
PNN