Farmers and police clash over paddy markets in Bargarh, halting traffic on NH-53
Bargarh: On Tuesday, a tense situation erupted in the Gudbhaga area of Bargarh district when farmers and police clashed on NH-53.
Hundreds of farmers protested by spreading and drying paddy on the national highway. They alleged that they were facing difficulties due to the market’s malfunctioning. Angry farmers blocked the NH at Gudbhaga, causing a massive traffic jam on both sides of the road. This blockade occurred after negotiations with the administration failed. When police attempted to clear the road, the conflict escalated, while the farmers refused to end their protest. Senior officials, including Bargarh Sub-Collector Prasanna Kumar Pandey and the local Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDPO), arrived at the scene and tried to pacify the protesters. The blockade resulted in a large number of vehicles being stranded for hours.
Farmers have been protesting for over two hours. The protest continued at the time of filing this report. Vehicles stretched five to seven kilometers along the road on both sides of the Bargarh and Sambalpur roads.
Some protesting farmers said, “This blockade at the paddy markets has been ongoing for the past five to six days since the procurement sites opened on November 28th. We haven’t been given tokens, and our crop is still lying in the open. We’re not sure when procurement will begin.”
The Bargarh sub-collector told IANS, “The lifting process is very slow this time. Every year, about 40% of the paddy is usually procured by this time. However, various procurement issues have slowed the process. In previous years, tokens used to reach us all at once. But this year, tokens are being sent to us in phases.”
