Punjab Flood-hit farmers sit on hunger strike in Ferozepur to demand compensation

Ferozepur, Jan 6 (PTI) Some flood-affected farmers have been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the last six days demanding compensation from the government for the loss caused to them.
     The farmers said that they are protesting against the state government's "failure" to release relief even three months after floods ravaged their fields and livelihoods.
     Farmers from Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala and Moga districts under the banner of the "Harh Peedit Kissan Sangharsh Committee" have been protesting at Harike Headworks in Ferozepur district since January 1.
     The farmers allege that despite assurances of Rs 20,000 per acre as compensation, the government has failed to honour its promise, forcing them to intensify their agitation.
     Committee state president Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia Tuesday said flood damage has been a recurring issue for decades but successive governments have failed to provide a permanent solution.
     He said rivers have altered their course towards private land, leading to repeated crop destruction year after year.
     Ahluwalia said 11 farmers have been on an indefinite hunger strike for six days, while hundreds of others continue their protest in the cold weather.
     He added that although an SDM-level officer had visited the protest site and assured a meeting with senior officials, no concrete outcome has emerged so far.
     The health condition of 90-year-old Sahab Singh of Pir Baksh village in Tarn Taran district, who has been on hunger strike since January 1, has not been good, farmers claimed.
     During the massive floods which Punjab witnessed last year, the Sutlej washed away nearly two-and-a-half acres of his five-acre landholding, leaving his family in severe financial distress.
     Ahluwalia alleged that no medical team has been deployed at the protest site despite the deteriorating health of elderly protesters.
     Apart from the compensation, the farmers have also demanded extension of the December 31 deadline for the removal of sand from fields, relief for families unable to pay school fees and a complete loan waiver for the flood-affected farmers.
     They have also sought Rs 50 lakh per acre compensation for land washed away by the Sutlej.
     Sukhwinder Singh of Bandala village said floods destroyed crops on his 10 acres, wiping out years of hard work.
     He said the damage is not a one-time occurrence, urging the government to implement permanent flood control measures, including strengthening embankments and securing riverbanks from Pathankot to Fazilka.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)