Farmers from Udham Singh Nagar reached the Regional Food Controller (RFC) office in Haldwani on Friday with Congress leaders and protested over the arrangements for government paddy procurement. They surrounded RFC Kumaon official C S Martolia and locked the office after officials and employees were asked to leave.
The sudden protest created tension at the premises. Kathgodam police station in-charge Jasveer reached the office after receiving information about the disturbance. The protest was led by former legislators Rajkumar Thukral and Narayan Pal.
Farmers’ complaints over paddy purchases
The farmers said the paddy procurement season was under way, but government purchase arrangements were not sufficient. They claimed farmers were moving from place to place to sell their produce because the official procurement system was not operating smoothly.
Thukral said farmers had begun taking their ready paddy to the markets, but the lack of an effective government purchase process was putting the crop at risk of spoilage. He also said farmers had suffered losses after heavy rain on 7 October, with harvested crops damaged in the fields.
The protesters demanded that government paddy procurement centres be activated immediately. Their concerns focused on the availability and functioning of purchase centres during the ongoing harvesting season.
Farmers including Harendra Singh Ladi, Himanshu Gaba, Gurmukh Singh, Sandeep Cheema, Navdeep Singh, Lalit Bisht, Anand Sharma and Harbhajan Singh took part in the demonstration.
Officials promise action
Lata Mishra, RMO Haldwani, said the farmers had come to the RFC office to seek resolution of their demands. She said discussions had been held and action would be taken soon.
The protest brought together farmers from Udham Singh Nagar and political representatives at an office in Haldwani, where procurement arrangements for the paddy season were being challenged. The immediate issue for farmers is access to functioning government purchase centres after harvesting and rain-related losses.
Conclusion
Farmers have demanded the immediate activation of government paddy procurement centres, while the RMO Haldwani said discussions had taken place and action would follow soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where did the farmers protest?
The farmers protested at the Regional Food Controller’s office in Haldwani.
Q. Where were the protesting farmers from?
They were from Udham Singh Nagar district.
Q. Why did the farmers stage the protest?
They said paddy procurement arrangements were inadequate and farmers were struggling to sell their produce through the government system.
Q. What action did the protesters take at the office?
They asked officials and employees to leave and locked the office premises.
Q. Who led the protest?
Former legislators Rajkumar Thukral and Narayan Pal led the farmers’ protest.
Q. What did the farmers demand?
They demanded the immediate activation of government paddy procurement centres.
Q. What did the RMO Haldwani say?
Lata Mishra said discussions had been held with the farmers and action would be taken soon.
Q. What weather-related loss did the farmers report?
Former legislator Rajkumar Thukral said heavy rain on 7 October damaged harvested crops in the fields.
