Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, June 9: With the onset of sowing paddy, former Minister and J&K Apni Party, senior leader, Manjit Singh today demanded intervention of Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu and Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam to facilitate and hassle-free entry of migrant workers at Lakhanpur in shortest time.
“The migrant workers come from Bihar and Punjab to work in the fields of Samba, Kathua and Jammu ahead of sowing of paddy crop. If they could not come in time, the farmers would not be able to cultivate their fields,” former Minister said, quoting farmers who had approached him in Vijaypur (Samba).
He said that “Even as the migrant workers are willing to come in Jammu and Kashmir, but they fear that they will be quarantined for 14 days after COVID-19 sampling at Lakhanpur.”
“The Government should make the procedure easy in Covid sampling ensuring that the sample reports should come within two days. The workers should be facilitated by the Government on their entry at Lakhanpur making it sure that that paddy season may not go waste like previous two crops,” he added.
He said that “The farmers in Jammu, Samba and Kathua are dependent upon the migrant labourers who returned to their native villages soon after outbreak of Corona Virus in the country.”
“They have become an important part and parcel for sowing and harvest of crops and without them, the farmers will be helpless to cultivate their fields,” he added.
The JKAP senior leader appealed the Government that “If farmers from these districts of Jammu division wants to go to Punjab to bring the migrant workers from the neighbouring state, they should be allowed in shortest time.”
Making procedure tough will affect the sowing season and the farmers will suffer the losses like they faced twice in recent past, he said.
The former Minister said that “The Labour Department should facilitate entry and exit of the farmers and migrant workers at Lakhanpur, who work in the fields.”
In view of the pandemic situation, the J&K Apni Party, senior leader, demanded that the Government should announce farmers’ welfare schemes, facilitate timely crop cultivation, and waive off on Kissan Credit Card (KCC) loans.
“The farmers have suffered badly due to the Covid situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Government should waive off KCCs to give them relief from the financial burden,” he demanded.
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