Displaced farmers along Indo-Pak border fencing, awaits relief
Ferozepur, August 4, 2017: The electric barbed fencing along the 553 KMs border touching Pakistan, installed to check the escalating insurgency in the state, has become a cause of displacement of farmers of fertilizer agriculture land around 21,600 acres, sandwiched between zero line and this fencing. The farmers of border village have not been compensated for the inconvenience allowance and for the land which was acquired after the partition of India and Pakistan for the construction of the passages up to the border.
Today, the affected farmers of border villages, under the banner of Punjab Border Area Kissan Welfare Society, sat on dharna in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner to register their protest.
Later talking to the media persons, Ranghbir Singh Bhangala senior leader of PVAKWS said, the land owned by the farmers along the fencing was declared as land of the farmers which is still under the control of Border Security Force – BSF.
Since March 14, 2014, the farmers have not been paid the compensation of the inconvenience allowance which they are demanding since long, he said.
He further said, the approximate compensation for the year 2016 becomes Rs.11,000 per acre and the farmers should get the compensation as per the court orders above this amount for seven months passed of the current year.
Bhangal said, all 220 villages along the fencing has been uprooted at the time of war between India and Pakistan besides loss of household goods. The farmers had to live in penury because of the restrictions on cultivation.
All these years the farmers had been getting assurances from the government of time and little compensation has been released in 1997, followed in 2012-13 and ahead of Assembly elections, he said.
Bhangala shared that they had been approaching the Home Minister, senior officials of BSF in writing for framing the uniform rules jointly by BSF, farmers and government.
Earlier the farmers had protested on July 16, 2017 with the result, a case against six farmers was registered at Khemkaran, which he demanded to be withdrawn.
Giving a warning to the government, Bhangala said, the government should solve the problems of the farmers of six border districts immediately failing the farmers will gehrao the residence of Chief Minister.
BSF sources said, they are aware of the plight of the farmers but free movement could not be permitted along the border due to security reasons.
