Barbed Wire Fencing to be Shifted 200 Meters Towards International Border: Kuldeep Dhaliwal

Amritsar/Chandigarh(The Uttam Hindu): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab’s Chief Spokesperson Kuldeep Dhaliwal thanked Chief Minister Sardar Bhagwant Singh Mann for resolving the decades-old issue of border farmers by holding a meeting with the Union Home Minister.

Addressing a press conference along with AAP leader Gurpratap Singh, Dhaliwal said that the barbed wire fencing installed along the border will now be shifted closer to the International Border by up to 200 meters. With this historic decision, thousands of acres of land along Punjab’s 532-kilometre-long border will now fall inside the fencing, providing major relief to farmers from harassment and strict checking during agricultural work.

Kuldeep Dhaliwal said that earlier, farmers were allowed a limited time, from 9 am to 4 pm, to cultivate their own land and all labourers, including women, had to undergo strict security checks. Moreover, due to the absence of tubewell connections on the other side of the fencing, farmers suffered heavy losses. With this decision, farmers will now be able to freely cultivate their land.

He further informed that the Chief Minister will hold a rally in Majitha today and will lay the foundation stone of a new college in Ajnala tomorrow, where farmers and sarpanches of border villages will accord a special honour to the Chief Minister.

Dhaliwal also said that during the meeting, the Chief Minister raised the issue of the pending ₹10,000 crore RDF (Rural Development Fund) of Punjab and demanded the immediate release of 25 percent of the amount, to which the Centre has given a positive response.

He also made it clear that during the meeting, the Chief Minister strongly opposed the Centre’s new ‘Seed Bill’, stating that it is being brought to benefit corporate houses rather than farmers. He said that Punjab will never tolerate such bills that are introduced to serve corporate interests without taking agricultural experts and farmers into confidence. He asserted that the Mann government will continue to fight relentlessly for the interests of Punjab and its farmers.