Sanawad: Scores of farmers, who failed to get their payment from a trader who had purchased their crop, intensified their protest on Wednesday. However, timely intervention of local MLA Sachin Birla along with senior administrative officials prevented situation from going worse.
Farmers alleged that Atharva Enterprises has bought gram worth RS 4 crore from about 200 farmers.
On Tuesday farmers raises a ruckus in the Krishi Upaj Mandi as a trader did not make payment to 50 cultivators after purchasing their gram.
They asked mandi secretary that money be withdrawn from traderís bank account for payment to farmers. As protest intensified, mandi secretary filed a complaint against trader at police station and assured farmers that they will get their money.
Despite this, farmers gathered on Indore-Ichhapur highway and raised a ruckus. They calmed down after SDM Anukul Jain held talks with them.
Officials assured farmers that every single penny of their produce will be paid and process of payment of their dues will be started in the next three days. For this an administrative team has been constituted.
It was declared after a marathon meeting with the farmers which continue for four-hour here in Sanawad.
SDM Anukul Jain, SDOP Mansingh Thakur, Sanawad police station in-charge Lalit Singh Dagur, naib tehsildar Sukhdev Dabur, mandi secretary BS Parihar and officers of Buldhana Bank were present.
Birla assured the farmers that the goods of the firm Atharva Enterprises, which cheated the farmers, have been kept in Maa Rewa Cold Storage Sanawad. The Mandi administration has sealed the entire consignment.
Birla during the meeting said that, the officials of Buldhana Bank have given in writing that the amount of goods of Atharva Enterprises will be returned to the farmers. The list of the affected farmers will be prepared by the mandi officers, tehsildar and Police Officers and on the basis of this list, the amount of their produce will be returned to the farmers by Buldhana Bank.
Birla said that first the amount of the victim farmers will be paid and after that the traders suffering from the fraud will be paid.
Administrative team has been constituted in this line. In which tehsildar, mandi officer, police officer, agriculture officer and horticulture officer are included. A report has been registered at Sanawad police station against the fraudster Atharva Enterprises proprietors Akhilesh Patel and his search is on.
