This story is from September 21, 2019

Talks fail, western Uttar Pradesh farmers to take protest to Delhi

As many as 500 farmers from different districts of western UP are ready to march to Delhi on Saturday morning after a discussion with two senior officials from the Union agriculture ministry failed on Friday.
Talks fail, western Uttar Pradesh farmers to take protest to Delhi
More than 500 farmers will march to Delhi around 5am on Saturday
NOIDA: As many as 500 farmers from different districts of western UP are ready to march to Delhi on Saturday morning after a discussion with two senior officials from the Union agriculture ministry failed on Friday.
The farmers, who have been camping at Transport Nagar in Sector 69 since Thursday, have been demanding that their loans be waived off, electricity rates be slashed and dues from sale of sugarcane be settled in 14 days.
They have presented a charter of 15 demands in total, which also include free education for their children from classes I to VIII, implementation of the Swaminathan committee’s report and a separate high court bench for western UP.
While a group of 200 farmers has marched to Noida from Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat, around 300 more have joined them on tractors and foot from the neighbouring districts of Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Bijnor, Hapur, etc.
Ramesh Kumar, a farmer from Saharanpur’s Talafra village, said he has a loan of Rs 3 lakh against him. “Before the Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister had promised that all loans of farmers will be waived. But this has not happened. We were also told that sugarcane dues would be settled within 14 days. However, some of the companies running sugar mills have not settled the dues since February,” he said.
Ramesh pointed out that if farmers are being charged interest of 14-22 % on loans, they should also be paid dividends on delay of their dues.
Bheem Singh, another farmer from Pipalha village of Muzaffarnagar, accused the BJP-led government of charging peasants for owning tubewells. “Only those farmers whose land does not get water supply from any of the connections provided by the government have been using tubewells. But they are being charged for that. During the SP regime, farmers did not have to pay for water from tubewells. If that could happen earlier, why can’t this government do the same?” he asked.

There is also palpable anger among farmers over electricity rates. The protesters rued that many of them are being penalised even if they delay paying bills by a day.
Mukesh Rana, who came from Bhameda village of Muzaffarnagar, said there are six persons in his village against whom FIRs have been lodged for delaying payment of dues.
At the protest spot in Transport Nagar, a two-member delegation from the Union agriculture ministry — director SS Tomar and consultant in the National Food Security Mission, CM Pandey — met the farmers around 4.15 pm. The protesters declined an offer from Tomar and Pandey suggesting that a delegation of farmers hold a meeting with the Centre next week.
“This is like fooling farmers. We won’t agree to this. There is no option now but to march to Delhi,” said Pooran Singh, the president of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangathan.
He added that the farmers would march to Delhi’s Kisan Ghat around 5am on Saturday.
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