Malkangiri/Kalimela: Traffic on National Highway-326 in Malkangiri district was severely hit after farmers led by the Congress party staged a road blockade over the abrupt closure of mandis before the farmers could sell their paddy stocks in Kalimela block, Sunday.
Hundreds of farmers and party members led by the district Congress president Gobind Patra and former MP Pradeep Kumar Majhi staged the road blockade demanding reopening of the mandis.
The farmers put up their paddy sacks on the highway. Commuters had a harrowing time as the blockade disrupted movement of vehicles from Malkangiri to Motu and Padia blocks with hundreds of vehicles lying stranded on either side of the highway.
Majhi warned of severe consequences in coming days if the administration fails to purchase paddy from all the farmers. He alleged that over 7000 sacks of paddy are lying unsold in Kalimela mandi while thousands of quintals are lying unsold in other mandis of the district due to the ‘callous attitude’ of the state government.
Patra alleged that over 5,000 quintals of paddy are lying unsold with the farmers in the district due to the ‘anti-farmer policies’ of the Centre and state government. The farmers who have received tokens were expecting they will soon be called to sell their paddy stocks.
Reports said that the mandis were opened in November, last year. The district collector had assured then that the paddy stocks of all the farmers will be procured.
However, the mandis were shut down after 45 days with the authorities claiming that the procurement target has been achieved. This has disappointed the farmers. Many farmers have not received their tokens while the farmers who had received tokens are yet to sell their paddy stocks.
There are 13 mandis under the Local Area Multiple Primary Cooperative Societies (LAMPS) under Kalimela block. The farmers wishing to sell their paddy stocks had applied for 9278 mandi tokens. However, the LAMPS authorities issued 8618 tokens and procured 277968 quintals from the farmers.
Reports said that the district had set a target of 10.54,000 lakh quintal for paddy procurement in this year but till date only 10.31,000 quintal of paddy have been purchased in the district.
When contacted, district civil supplies officer Ajay Kumar Rath said a proposal for paddy procurement in the second phase has been send to the state government which will resume on receiving approval.
Among others, former party working president Ram Prasad Pattnaik, Kalimela block chairperson Mala Madhi, her Mathili counterpart Lakshmipriya Nayak, Women’s Congress president Kamala Baral and hundreds of farmers and party workers participated in the protest.
PNN