Farmers stage dharna at market yard

Karimnagar: Farmers staged a dharna and organised rasta roko at Agriculture Grain Market here on Thursday, alleging that the market authorities are not purchasing grains in a proper way.

Farmers from surrounding villages brought their produce to the grain market to sell them, but the authorities have kept conditions and not purchasing their produce, farmers alleged.

Rythu Ikya Vedika district secretary V Radhakrishna Reddy criticised that the authorities of the grain market are not providing any facilities to the farmers and for the last ten days the farmers' produce was kept in open air without any protection.

He lamented the entire produce will get damaged in the event of unexpected rains.

There are no gunny bags, hamali workers are behaving rudely with famers, while the officials are putting conditions and not purchasing the produce in a proper way and are looting the hard work of the farmers, he added.

The angry farmers organised rasta roko for more than one hour, causing traffic jam for a few kilometres. Heated argument took place between the officials and farmers during the rasta roko, when the former called police.

After the authorities assured the farmers of purchasing the grains and will provide all the facilities immediately at the market yard, the farmers withdrew their protest.

Rythu Ikya Vedika members KA Shetty Murali, D Mohan, M Venkatesham, Md Bhashumiyya, T Sharada and about 200 farmers participated in the rasta roko.