Farmers Without Land Ownership Rights Request Special Assistance as They Do Not Qualify for Relief
Fazilka: The floodwater has almost receded from most of the area in Fazilka district and the work on special girdawari and compensation has begun but the worst-hit are the farmers who are not eligible for compensation in the absence of ownership rights and girdawari.
These farmers have demanded from the government to come out with a special package for them.
Why no compensation to them?
Were their crops not damaged? Have they not suffered financial losses? If yes, why should they be deprived of the compensation? Jangir Singh, Sarpanch of Teje Rohela
The farmers raised the demand before Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian during his visit to the flood-affected areas today.
Harmesh Warwal, sarpanch of flood-affected border villages of Jhangar Bhaini and Ram Singh Bhaini, who led the farmers, demanded a special package for those farmers whose crops were damaged in flood water but were not eligible for compensation.
The government had come out with a special policy in 2007 and decided to transfer the ownership rights of the provincial government land in favour of the eligible farmers who had been cultivating the land since decades. The girdawari was already in favour of most of the beneficiary farmers. The policy was challenged in the court.
On the directions of the Supreme Court in 2019, the rights and girdawari of the provincial government land were revoked in favour of the government but the physical possession of the land was allegedly not taken back due to possible backlash by the farmers.
The farmers also submitted a memorandum to the minister in this regard. The other demand included a suitable compensation for the houses which fell in a large number, waiving the loans of flood-affected farmers, the availability of wheat seed on the subsidised rates, waiving power bills of their houses, repair of government school buildings damaged due to floods, reservation in government jobs for affected eligible youths, immediate construction of damaged link roads and special compensation for the labourers.
