Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday expressed concern over the incidents of arson in wheat crop from all over the state.
He has demanded a compensation of at least Rs 25000 per acre to the farmers affected by the arson.
Hooda says that hundreds of acres of crops were destroyed in Rohtak’s Makdauli, Rithal, Basantpur, Brahmanwas, Dhamad, Khidwali, Nidana, Samargopalpur, Kharavad, Needana, Bahu Akbarpur and Sisar villages alone. Similarly, thousands of acres of crops of farmers have been destroyed in different districts like Hisar, Jind, Jhajjar and Fatehabad.
“Fire broke out in many places due to yesterday’s thunderstorm, short circuit and other reasons. In such a situation, efforts should be made to increase awareness among farmers and the general public by the government. Farmers need to be more careful about this,” he said.
Hooda said the fire department should also increase its capacity in the season so that more and more vehicles can reach the spot if needed and farmers can be saved from major losses.
“Today the farmer’s crop is neither safe in the field, nor in the mandis. No arrangement has been made to cover the crops of the farmers who are reaching the mandis with their crops and millions of tonnes of food grains are lying under the open sky,” he said.
“Till now no arrangement for lifting has been made by the government nor payment of farmers. The meteorological department has predicted thunderstorms and rain in the coming days. In such a situation, keeping the crop in the open is harmful for both the farmer and the government,” Hooda added.
The Congress leader said the farmers of the state are facing calamities like weather, inflation and arson and need help from the government. He once again reiterated the demand of Rs 500 per quintal bonus to the farmers on the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat.
He also demanded a law to guarantee MSP in the interest of farmers. “Farmers should get MSP under Swaminathan Commission’s C2 formula, only then will farming become profitable for farmers,” Hooda added.