Farmers, women protest on Rrajiv Rahadari demanding urea supply

Farmers and women staged a Bathukamma protest on Rajiv Rahadari in Karimnagar, blocking traffic to demand urea supply. MLA Gangula Kamalakar warned of black market raids if the crisis persists

Karimnagar: Farmers and women staged an innovative protest by playing Bathukamma on Rajiv Rahadari at Durshed in Karimnagar rural mandal on Monday, demanding adequate urea supply for crops.

Led by local MLA Gangula Kamalakar, the farmers staged a rasta roko, bringing vehicular traffic on the busy highway to a standstill for a while. The agitators, including BRS activists, raised slogans against the Congress government.

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They demanded that the district agriculture officer visit the spot and resolve the crisis.

Speaking on the occasion, Kamalakar said farmers were facing problems in accessing urea because of the failure of both the State and Central governments. He said urea supply was crucial at this stage for paddy and warned that yields would decline if farmers were deprived of fertiliser. Even potash, he added, was unavailable under the Congress government.

Alleging that urea was being diverted to the black market, he claimed bags were being sold at Rs 450 each. Farmers, he said, were being forced to stand in serpentine queues at PACSs to get supplies.

Blaming both governments for the crisis, Kamalakar warned that farmers would not hesitate to raid black market godowns if urea was not supplied within two days. He held the State responsible if crops were damaged.

Police cleared the traffic after taking Kamalakar, farmers, and others into custody.