Rattan Khurd, Dec 30 (ANI): The farmers residing in Punjab's Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur Districts have reiterated their demand for compensation for their agricultural land located on the other side of the border fence, here on Friday.
It was in 1999 that the farmers were given a monetary compensation of rupees 3,000 per acre under the Border Area Development Programme as they were not allowed to cultivate the land due to security reasons.
Beside the compensation, farmers living on the border of India and Pakistan demanded better facilities.
Expressing distress, Mahender Singh, a farmer said due to security reasons, the Indian Army does not allow them to work on the field for the entire day.
"We have three acres of land but we cannot sow anything on that land. If we want to sow the crop Army does not allow us to do so. We only want that government should acquire our entire land and give us a new piece of land," he said.
The farmers said that their woes were aggravated as they were not allowed to irrigate their fields in the night due to the imposition of night curfew in the border area.
Another farmer, Puran Singh said that the state government failed to pay heed to their demands and pressed their demand for providing them with land.
"We want that either government should give us compensation or if they do not wish so then they should acquire the entire land and give us another piece of land. There is no reservation in jobs for our children. We do not get any facilities, which a border area gets. We are not concerned who is in the power but we just need our land," said Puran Singh.
Electrified fencing on the 540 kilometre long India-Pakistan border took place in 1991.
With the state assembly elections scheduled to be held on January 30th 2012, farmers said that there was need to improve the infrastructure in the state and called for the need to build schools and provide better transport and medical facilities. (ANI)
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