AMBALA: The farmers associated with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Charuni under the call of their symbolic protest freed the toll plazas on various National Highways (NHs) in Haryana for three hours from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday, demanding the government to give Rs 500 per quintal bonus on wheat.
The protesting farmers submitted their memorandum of demands at the toll plazas to concerned officials of the district administrations in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari.
The farmers also demanded for deputing only the state residents as employees on the toll plazas, to issue slips to vehicles without FAStags as was done before its implementation and taking no charge from people living within 15 kilometers of toll plazas.
The farmers freed the Devi Nagar toll plaza at Shambhu border in Ambala on NH-44, at Saini Majra and Thana on NH-152 in Kurukshetra and at Gadholi-Gadholi on NH-344.
During their protests the farmers did not obstruct any traffic but only freed the toll plazas for three hours and the demonstrations remained peaceful in Ambala region.
BKU Charuni said that the present price of wheat in the international market in April 2022 is 370 US Dollar per tonne i.e. about Rs 2,800 per quintal and there is a hope that the wheat price will increase in near future as this crop of other wheat-producing countries will get ripe in August to November months. The farm union added that as per the Haryana agriculture and farmers' welfare department, the cost of producing wheat in Haryana in the year 2020-21 was Rs 2,083 per quintal and this year in 2021-22, the prices of diesel, fertilisers and seed have increased heavily but the government's MSP (minimum support price) for wheat is only Rs 2,015 per quintal, which is lesser than the production cost.
The union said the farmers also suffered loss of crop due to untimely rain and therefore, it is important to give farmers Rs 500 per quintal bonus on wheat.
BKU Charuni also demanded that the vehicles associated in agriculture activity like tractors and combine harvesters should not be charged at the toll plazas on the NHs.
