Farmers block highway over road-widening in Bathinda

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 20

Scores of farmers under the banner of BKU (Ektra Ugrahan) blocked the Bathinda-Dabwali national highway near Gehri Buttar village in Bathinda. They staged a protest against the district administration. The farmer leaders alleged that a road-widening work had been started by the administration without taking due “consent” of owners (farmers) of land and that they have been offered “low” rates for the same. As the highway remains dotted with vehicles, the protest led to traffic snarls on both sides of the highway causing inconvenience to commuters.

Kulwant Sharma, president of the union, Sangat block, said: “The road widening project will be used mostly for trade purposes by big corporate houses but farmers’ land is being acquired without providing them fair price. At many places, the land has been acquired under commercial category but farmers have been offered meagre rates. We have brought the matter to the notice of the Bathinda DC but nothing has been done by the administration to address the matter till now, while land is being acquired for the project forcefully.”

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