Indore News: Face Statewide Stir; Farmers To State Government

Indore (madhya Pradesh): Questioning the Madhya Pradesh government’s claims of being farmer-friendly, a large number of farmers under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha staged a strong protest outside the Collector’s Office on Tuesday.

The agitation was organised to press for immediate payment of Bhavantar (price difference) compensation, fair prices for crops, and restoration of TNC permissions for lands affected by the Ahilyapath project.

Farmers issued a clear warning that if Bhavantar payments are not released within seven days, organisations associated with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will launch a statewide agitation across Indore and Madhya Pradesh.

The protest was held on the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti and the Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Sena. Farmer leaders Ram Swaroop Mantri, Bablu Jadhav, Chandan Singh Badwaya and Shailendra Patel led the demonstration and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister through district officials.

In the memorandum, farmers stated that large hoardings were displayed in district mandis promising that Bhavantar payments for soybean sales would be credited to farmers’ bank accounts within 15 days of procurement.

However, farmers are yet to receive the promised amount. They alleged that the delay reflects serious lapses in governance and has pushed cultivators into financial distress.

The protesters also highlighted multiple unresolved issues, including extensive crop damage caused by wild animals such as wild boars, inflated electricity bills following the installation of smart meters, replacement of meters without farmers’ consent, hardships caused by night-time irrigation schedules, and long-pending payments to 186 farmers of Laxmi Nagar Anaj mandi.