Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 10

Thousands of farmers tilling around 20,000 acres of land across the barbed fence on the India-Pakistan border in the state are paying the price for heroin smuggling by a few anti-social elements as they do not get ample time to tend to their crops. Even they are seen with the eye of suspicion, their demands for relaxation in time and norms are met with disdain.The agitated farmers have now decided to initiate protests against the BSF from June 1. The farmer representatives from six districts — Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ferozepur and Fazilka — after a meeting here today said though rules allowed them to work in their fields from 8 am to 5 pm, these were seldom followed by the BSF.“The BSF officials allow farmers to go to their fields from 10 am to 2:30 pm only. On Sundays and other holidays, besides foggy days, farmers are not allowed there,” said Makhan Singh of Rajatal village, near here.Another farmer Bir Singh of Kakkar village, near Ajnala, said: “Even a lot of time is wasted in checking and completing formalities. Further, all entry gates are not opened regularly. As a result, the farmers had to waste a lot of time in reaching their fields.”Talking about a few arbitrary decisions of the BSF, farmers complained that while tractors were allowed, animal-pulled carts were restricted. The farmers use carts to bring fodder for animals.“Rules say that crops higher than 4 feet are not allowed but the BSF also objects to crops such as potato, turmeric or other such crops which do not reach 4-m height. The arbitrary decisions taken at the local level result in harassment of farmers,” said Rattan Singh Randhawa of the Border Area Sangharsh Committee, which is spearheading the movement.Ramesh Wadera of Fazilka said: “At some places along the border, the fence is around 4 km on the Indian side. A final solution to the problem could be in shifting the fence further towards the Pakistan side so that we do not have to cross to the other side.”A three-member high-power committee constituted by the state government after intervention of the high court had visited border areas in February 2014. The committee in its report had also mentioned problems faced by farmers with regard to restrictions imposed by the BSF on entry timings and closure of gates.“The fact that the committee was constituted on government orders and it had submitted the report listing all problems we are discussing today, is enough to establish that the government already knows about the hardships. But still it has failed to intervene to find any solution,” said Kabal Singh Rajoke, another prominent leader of farmers.