Mohali: Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Sidhupur Sunday staged a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s office, demanding immediate resolution of paddy procurement issues, relief on bank loans and action on other pending farmer concerns.The protesters alleged that paddy was lying unsold in mandis and urged the govt to ensure prompt procurement. They also demanded implementation of a One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme for farm loans and sought the return of cheques they claimed had been taken from farmers without authorisation.Union leaders said farmers had been protesting outside banks for nearly six months over loan-related issues and alleged that repeated representations seeking the return of the cheques had yielded no results.Representatives of the union later met officials and submitted their demands to the administration.SP Deepika Singh said the concerns raised by BKU Ekta Sidhupur had been brought to the notice of the civil administration and would be conveyed to the deputy commissioner.“Their issues were heard and every effort will be made to find a solution at the earliest,” she said.According to the police officer, the demands primarily related to paddy procurement, the OTS scheme and the SIT bill. She added that the govt had already announced a special session on several farmer issues and action was under way on most of the demands raised by farmers.During the interaction, Singh also urged residents to report unlawful activities through the Safe Punjab app, assuring that the identity of informants would remain confidential and that prompt action would be taken on credible information.
