Jaipur: Farmers from Rathi Kheda village in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district have decided to step up their protest against the proposed ethanol factory, saying they will continue collective action until the project is withdrawn, reports The New Indian Express.
On Wednesday, a large mahapanchayat was held in Sangaria town, the third such gathering in the past month. The meeting saw participation from thousands of farmers and villagers from across Hanumangarh district, as well as nearby areas of Haryana and Punjab.
During the mahapanchayat, farmers voiced strong anger against the state government and the district administration over the proposed ethanol plant. They repeated their main demands, calling for the immediate cancellation of the memorandum of understanding signed for the factory and the withdrawal of all cases filed against farmers during earlier protests.
In view of the expected turnout, the administration remained on alert throughout the day. Following incidents of unrest and arson reported after the December 10 mahapanchayat, internet services were suspended in the Sangaria area from Tuesday evening until midnight on Wednesday to maintain law and order. Section 163 was also imposed as a precautionary step.
The district administration invited farmer leaders for talks during the mahapanchayat in an effort to ease tensions. However, the leaders refused to hold discussions, stating that talks would only be possible if their demands were accepted first.
Addressing the gathering, farmers said the ethanol factory would harm agricultural land, water sources and the environment, and made it clear that they would not accept the project under any circumstances.
From the mahapanchayat stage, farmer leaders announced plans to intensify the agitation in the coming days. They said the next mahapanchayat will be held in Talwara on February 11 and warned that protests would continue until the government cancels the project.
The Sangaria mahapanchayat ended peacefully after the announcement of the next phase of the movement. However, the administration is closely monitoring the situation as farmers prepare to escalate their protest.
Farmers opposing the ethanol factory proposed in the Tibbi area claim the project poses serious environmental risks and will negatively affect farming land. The district administration, on the other hand, maintains that the factory will create jobs and support industrial growth. Farmers remain firm in their opposition, saying the project threatens their land, environment and livelihoods, and have pledged to continue their agitation until the proposal is withdrawn.
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