Our Correspondent
Fazilka, October 3
Two paddy-laden trucks coming from Rajasthan were stopped by the farmers at the Theh Kalandar toll plaza on the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway, where they had been protesting for the past over one year against the three contentious central agricultural laws.
Sources said the trucks were coming from Hanumangarh district and were going to Jalalabad rice mills.
Harish Nadha, president, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakuanda), said paddy from outside state won’t be allowed for sale in this border district. The sources further said the Punjab Mandi Board had imposed a penalty of Rs 39,540 on each truck for bringing paddy into the state and the vehicles had been returned to their respective areas in Rajasthan.
Notably, the parmal variety of paddy is being purchased by some traders at cheaper rate from the neighbouring state and is sold at a higher price than the minimum support price (MSP) in Punjab to amass financial profits.
Meanwhile, keeping in view the infiltration of paddy, the Fazilka police have laid 24 nakas in different parts of the state, which shares the boundary with Rajasthan.
SSP Deepak Hilori said 24 such nakas, including four major barriers at Gumjal, Rajpura, Seeto Guno and Bkainwala, from where the maximum possibility of infiltration of paddy was reported had been laid.
He claimed that nearly 150 police personnel had been deployed to stop the unethical practice.
2 grain trucks from Rajasthan intercepted
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