Demanding a fair price for sugarcane, farmers have arrived at Dhannowali to block the Jalandhar-Delhi National Highway.
Commuters from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Pathankot, and other neighbouring areas who need to travel over the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of NH-1 in Dhanowali are going to suffer a massive
jam today.
Sugarcane growers, united under the banner of the Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee are said to protest for an indefinite period. In case, the government refuses the price hike of sugarcane,
the rail tracks will also be shut down during the protest.
While the state government announced that the SAP would be increased by Rs 15 per quintal, the farmers have become even more agitated. According to the farmers, sugarcane growers in Haryana
were paid Rs 48 more than those in Punjab.
“The Amarinder Singh government has made us the target of a cruel joke. They have mocked us by announcing a meagre rise of Rs 15 per quintal. During the finalisation of this amount,
the state government did not have any of us as representatives. We expected the SAP on sugarcane to be raised to at least Rs 370, as compared to the previous price of Rs 295 to 310 (varying according to variety)," said
Manjit Rai, head of the Bhartiya Kisan Union.
According to the leaders, the per quintal price of sugarcane in Haryana was Rs 350 last year and had now been raised to Rs 358, but sugarcane growers in Punjab had been receiving a price
of Rs 310 per quintal for the last five years.
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They claimed that despite pressing the issue several times, the Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh has failed to meet the demands of farmers. “Apart from the inflated
production rate, the price of sugar in the market has also crossed Rs 40 per kg, yet farmers are not receiving the adequate price for their crop,” said Jaskaran Singh, a farm leader.
To manage traffic and ease the problem of commuters, police have diverted the routes.
For the Pathankot-Amritsar route, travelling via Pathankot Chowk, Lamma Pind Chowk, and Chowgitty Chowk is suggested.
Dhilwan Chowk, Ladowali Chowk, Near Krishna Factory, PAP Chowk, Rama Mandi Chowk are the main routes to travel to or from Hoshiarpur.
T-Point McDonald on GT Road, Phagwara Chowk Cantt, is advised for Phagwara-Jandiala travellers.
T-Point Pratappura Mod, Wadala Chowk, T-Point Nakodar Chowk are the points of entry and exit for Moga-Shahkot-Nakodar.
In case someone has a problem, they can contact the Jalandhar Traffic Police at 0181-2227296).