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Punjab's Akali regime shows real color, buckles before aarhtiyas
WSN Network

CHANDIGARH: For months the Punjab Government amde a solemn promise that it will ensure direct payments to farmers. It even talked about bringing a law to this effect. Then it told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it will ensure direct payment to farmers. Finally, it even announced a date for making the switch and freeing the farmers in Punjab from the clutches of the aarhtiyas.

But many in Punjab continued to harbour suspicions about the politicians of Akali Dal and BJP making these promises, since most politicians are indebted to aarhtiyas, many are themselves into the aarhtiya business and ruling party politicos accepted election funds even in the recently held Assembly bypolls from the aarhtiyas.

Now, the cat is out of the bag. And the farmers have been let down badly.

A notification issued by the Punjab Government makes it clear that the farmers would not be getting direct payment for their produce. Issued on Thursday, the notification flies in the face of all recommendations of various agriculture experts and farm leaders, including the Punjab Government's own Punjab State Farmers Commission.

So much so that the annointed friend of the Badals, Punjab Agriculture Marketing Board chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, slammed the notification and said it was a clear contempt of court. "I hope the courts quash this new amendment since the Punjab government had earlier assured them (courts) about ensuring direct payment to farmers," he said.

Interestingly, the government had already issued orders for direct payments and the notification in fact changed these to empower the kuchha arhtiyas (commission agents) to collect cheques from agencies on behalf of farmers, deduct what is due to them, and then make electronic transfer of payment. Farmers will not get any choice to exercise an option of either choosing between direct payment by agencies or through arhtiyas.

7 October 2009
 

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