Farmers Seek Roll Back of Paddy Reg Norms

HUNDREDS of farmers from various blocks of the district gheraoed the Bargarh collector's office on Tuesday demanding immediate withdrawal of the paddy procurement registration norms introduced by the state government for the current kharif season.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Bargarh

The agitators, under the banner of Jai Kisan Andolan, called for a simple, farmer-friendly process instead of the new system, which they claimed has made registration difficult for a majority of cultivators.

Led by district president Sushil Sahu, the farmers first took out a protest march from Gopal Goshala. They moved through the town raising slogans before assembling at the collectorate gate. Despite repeated calls to receive their memorandum, neither the Collector nor any representative came forward, prompting the farmers to force open the gate and enter the collector's office premises. The situation was brought under control after additional district magistrate Madhu Chhanda Sahu and senior police officials intervened. Sahu later accepted the memorandum.