The state committee of Himachal Kissan Sabha and Himachal Seb Utpadak Sangh has extended support to the ongoing agitations of the farmers in the different parts of the state. The two farmers organizations have decided to work for the success of the 10th April rally to be organized in Rampur and Nirmond and the indefinite “Ghera Dalo – Dera Dalo” action of the Kissans on the acute problem of cooking gas and non avilablity of fertilizers in Theog area from 25th April 2012 onwards.
The farmers’ organizations have stated that the BJP state Government is totally insensitive to the growing problems of the farmers and this is evident from the recent suicide committed by Mohar Singh a Dalit kissan of Bhoranj Tehsil of Hamirpur district. It is shocking the insensitivity is so deep that the Kissans of Theog have been on chain hunger strike since the last one month from 22nd February and prior to this a memorandum had been submitted two different ministers the Food and Civil Supplies Minister and Agriculture Minister on 13th February 2012 through SDM Theog but no Government agency has bothered to even look towards them. They alleged that Govt has forgotten to resolve the burning issue, so that they are holding the Theog Bandh on 5th March 2012.
The two farmers’ organization has alleged that certain influential officers of the civil supplies corporation have converted it into a den of corruption. Earlier the Dal Scam had come to light in which a close associate of the Health Minister was involved now new facts have come to light, where the gas agency of Theog run by the civil supplies corporation have over charged the 23900 consumers of the Theog gas agency and have pocketed more then one crore rupees which is being shared between the contractor of the gas agency and the influential officers of the civil supplies corporation.
The farmers’ organizations have demanded a high level judicial enquiry into the LPG scam going on openly in the Theog gas agency. The farmers organization have also demanded when the civil supplies corporation is deducting Rs 24.30 as delivery charges for the LPG cylinder from the consumers it must provide the LPG cylinder at the nearest road point from the consumers village for which all those link roads constructed in the last 20 years be approved for plying the gas cylinder vehicles and ambulances as vegetable and ration vehicles are already plying on these roads.
The farmer’s organizations have stated both the central and state Governments have conspired to break the backbone of the Kissans. This is the major reason of the increase in suicide cases in the country and now this phenomenon has begun in Himachal also. It is shocking the state budget allocation in the annual plan for 2012-13 for agriculture and allied sectors are a mere 12.98 percent while the share of agriculture and animal husbandry in the state domestic product was 15.81 percent for 2010-11. This has been reduced from 26.5 percent in 1990-91. This fact indicates the intensification of the agrarian crises in the state which is being sponsored by the successive state Governments. It is shocking that fertilizers are not available though they have gone beyond the purchasing power of the farmer.
The two farmer’s organizations have stated that in the days ahead the local struggles of the farmers will be intensified on all issues which affect the farmers adversely which increase his cost of production and reduce the prices of the farm commodities produced by them.
