Maize, paddy farmers take to streets, lock up PACS CEO in office in Khammam

Farmers staged protests in Telangana’s Khammam district over alleged delays in maize and paddy procurement. Protesters locked a PACS CEO inside an office in Madhira constituency, while another group staged a rasta roko demanding procurement of rain-damaged crops

Khammam: Farmers angry over the Congress government’s alleged failure to procure maize and paddy staged protests in Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka’s Madhira constituency.

The farmers staged a dharna outside Chintakani PACS on Monday demanding immediate procurement of paddy and maize. They locked the society CEO, Maragani Srinivas Rao, inside the society office as a mark of protest.

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According to locals, the issue of transporting maize bags that had been lying idle for a month triggered the protest. Farmers were worried over the CEO’s alleged negligent attitude in arranging trucks to transport the produce that had already been weighed.

It was learnt that, believing a message circulated on social media, some farmers brought maize in gunny bags to the cooperative society office seeking permission for transportation. An argument broke out with the society staff over the issue, leading to protests by the farmers.

The society CEO, Srinivasa Rao, told the farmers that they had not received any information or permission from Markfed regarding transportation of maize and asked them not to bring maize to the society office.

Meanwhile, farmers in Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s Palair constituency took to the streets demanding that the government purchase their paddy and maize damaged due to rains at procurement centres.

They staged a rasta roko on the Khammam-Warangal National Highway at Pindiprolu in Tirumalayapalem mandal of Khammam district. The protest, which lasted for one-and-a-half hours, resulted in a massive traffic jam as vehicular movement came to a standstill.

Police and marketing officials rushed to the spot and held discussions with farmer leaders. The Additional Collector also spoke to the farmers over the phone. The farmers called off their protest after they were assured that their farm produce would be purchased.