Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Aug 28: Hundreds of farmers today participated in a function organized to remember two villagers who were killed in police firing at Vijaypur in 1991 while demanding adequate power supply in their area.
On the occasion, former Minister and senior Congress leader, Manjit Singh was the chief guest. The function was organized by the Kissan Union Vijaypur as its annual feature to pay tributes at the memorial of the villagers killed in the police firing.
“We should not forget their struggle for the just demand for which they laid down their lives. Though the two villagers were killed and 35 were injured in police firing during a demonstration in 1991 yet the suffering of the villagers have not changed,” Manjit Singh said, while addressing the gathering.
Singh said that the farmers are still struggling to get their share for irrigation water supply, electricity and drinking water supply. “The town has been lagging behind other areas. The administration has turned deaf ears to the sufferings of the people and it has failed to fulfill their just demands, he added.
The senior Congress leader alleged that they have time and again raised the issue of shortage of irrigation water due to which border villages in Vijaypur especially the tale enders have been suffering.
He alleged that the farmers have been facing shortage of fertilizers which are not provided in the town. “The farmers have to go in the neighboring State like Punjab and district Udhampur for fertilizers since same is not available in their native villages or town, he alleged.
Expressing concern over the Pak firing, Manjit Singh said that due to heavy firing in the recent past by the Pak Rangers on Indian posts fear psychosis has gripped the entire border belt and the farmers avoid going into their fields near the border.
He said there is a need to restore confidence among the villagers so that they can till their fields. The security should be provided to those willing to cultivate their fields along the IB so that fear could be thrown out of their minds, he added.
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