Mancherial farmers stage rasta-roko seeking paddy procurement

Farmers staged a rasta roko in Mancherial district demanding speedy procurement of paddy and highlighting hardships faced at procurement centres. Tension also erupted in Chennur mandal after Congress cadres stopped BRS activists from inspecting rain-drenched paddy stocks.

Mancherial: Farmers staged a rasta-roko demanding procurement of paddy produce at Gudipet village in Hajipur mandal on Thursday.

The agitating farmers from multiple villages gathered on Mancherial-Luxettipet road and blocked traffic, demanding that the government take steps to expedite the process of procurement.

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They regretted that they were forced to spend sleepless nights to protect the produce shifted to procurement centres.

They said that safeguarding the produce was fraught with risks. They said that they were prone to lose lives due to lightning at the centres.

They recalled that in two different incidents, four farmers were killed when walls of sheds collapsed on them at Gampalapalli and Kothuru villages. They withdrew the protest when officials assured of speeding up the process.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed for a while when Congress cadres prevented BRS activists from inspecting a procurement centre where paddy produce was drenched due to unseasonal rains at Asnad village in Chennur mandal. The Congress leaders picked up an argument with the BRS activists and faulted them, resulting in a tension. However, farmers present pacified warring groups.