(Bikram Majithia also asks CM to ensure compensation is paid to farmers for earlier damage to crops due to rain and pink bollworm attack within one week)
Chandigarh, October 24 2021
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi to order an immediate girdwari to ascertain the damage caused to crops due to hail storm and heavy rain during the last few days at various places in the State.
READ MORE :-PUNJAB CM ASKS DCs OF COTTON AFFECTED DISTRICTS TO SEND THE COMPLETE REPORTS POSITIVELY BY OCTOBER 29 FOR DISBURSAL OF COMPENSATION
In a statement here, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the chief minister should not only order an immediate girdwari but also set a time frame for award of compensation to farmers. “Farmers are yet to get any compensation for crop damages they suffered due to widespread rain in September this year. Even the girdwari process for the same was not completed on time. Similarly the government has dragged its feet in conducting a survey of the damage caused due to pink bollworm attack on the cotton crop”.
Asserting that farmers were suffering due to the new culture of making empty announcements, Mr Bikram Majithia said “there is a new trend to announce relief by the chief minister which never reaches the farmers. We have seen this in the case of earlier girdwari announced following heavy downpour and even during the pink bollworm attack on the cotton crop last month. In both cases, even though the government claimed it was giving relief to farmers and also issued advertisements to this effect, not a single farmer received Rs one in any kind of relief”.
Asking the chief minister not to try to hoodwink farmers, Mr Majithia said express orders should be passed to concerned deputy commissioners to issue relief cheques to farmers for crop damage due to heavy downpour and pink bollworm within one week. “Similarly the process of girdwari to assess the damage caused to standing crops should be completed within one week and money should be distributed to the concerned farmers within a fortnight so that they are able to sow their next wheat crop”.