According to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab not only failed farmers by refusing to come to their aid and releasing compensation for flood damages, but it was now adding to their distress with drastic power cuts.
He said: “The sheer apathy of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann towards the plight of farmers has crossed all limits. After refusing to release a fair compensation to farmers one and a half months after they battled floods which destroyed paddy crops in thousands of acres, the government is enforcing massive power cuts which are creating a drought like situation in the state.”
Stating that this was the Chief Minister who had promised uninterrupted power supply to farmers, Badal said: “Farmers in Muktsar, Fazilka and Ferozepur districts are reporting 18 to 20 hours of power cuts which is resulting in the withering of their paddy and vegetable crops, besides severely affecting their horticulture trees”.
He said the situation had been compounded in the districts by attempts to forcibly close more than 700 lift irrigation pumps. He said farmers were being forced to operate lift pumps at one week intervals or face registration of cases.
Source: daijiworld.com