CHANDIGARH: Taking a dig at Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, SAD on Wednesday asked him to stop ‘helicopter hopping’ for a few days and resolve the grievances of scheduled caste and weaker sections of the society. It also stressed on the need to announce immediate compensation for farmers and farm laboureres who have been affected due to the damages to cotton crop by pink ball worm attack.
SAD spokesperson Pawan Kumar Tinu said it had been more than a week since the chief minister had helihopped to Bathinda to assess the damage done to cotton crop over lakhs of acres of land. He said the chief minister had promised prompt compensation but not a single farmer or farm labourer had received any compensation. “The state government is yet to conduct a survey to assess the damage done to the cotton crop,” he said.
Tinu said reports emanating from the Malwa region indicate that farm labourers were in dire straits due to cotton crop loss and loss of livelihood. “We request the chief minister to devote a few days in his office to order a comprehensive compensation for the farm labourers on the same lines as done by the erstwhile Parkash Singh Badal-led government when cotton crop was similarly affected,” he added.
“There was a feeling that the new chief minister would expedite all social welfare schemes relating to the weaker sections besides ensuring justice against wrongs committed against the scheduled caste population... The chief minister has not expedited dispersals under any social welfare scheme including the ‘shagun’ scheme and old-age pension scheme. Even lakhs of blue cards given to below poverty line families, which were scrapped unjustly during Congress government tenure, have not been restored,” he said.”
