Farmers postpone rally due to tractor march
RUDRAPUR: Farmers in the Bazpur area in Udham Singh Nagar have postponed their “Thali-Belan” rally scheduled to be held on February 20 due to a tractor rally the next day, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. Farmer leader said that their rally may affect the success of the tractor march.
Jagtar Singh Bajwa, convener, “Bhoomi Bachao Muhim” (save the land initiative) in Bazpur said, “We have postponed the women wing’s thali-belan rally to be held on February 20 due to the call of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU). BKU has given a call to hold a tractor march in district headquarters the next day. The thali-belan rally could have affected the march, therefore rally was postponed.”
Farmers of 20-village in Bazpur of US Nagar have been staging dharna under the banner of Bhoomi Bachao Muhim since August 1. They have been demanding ownership rights on their agricultural land. The said land was given on lease and after the termination of lease, the land was transferred to farmers’ name. On the contrary, the district administration had banned sale and purchase of their land in February, 2021 due to some legal issues. State government has constituted a high-level committee headed by chairman, Uttarakhand revenue board to solve the issue. A meeting of the committee was held in December. The women of 20-village had decided to take out a thali-belan rally to press the ownership demand on February 20.
“Women are also participating in our agitation with enthusiasm. Now the thali-belan rally will be held on March 1, the day when our agitation completes seven months,” said Bajwa. Karam Singh Padda, state president, BKU said, “Our farmers have been agitating for their demand since August. The state government is not paying attention seriously, only pretending to solve the problem.”