The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on Monday staged a protest over alleged irregularities in the functioning of land mortgage banks and the pending one-time settlement (OTS) scheme at the Mohali-Chandigarh border. Protesters had planned to march from Gurdwara Amb Sahib to the office of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies in Chandigarh, but were stopped by the police at the Mohali-Chandigarh border on Jail Road. The protesters then pitched tent in the middle of the road. Farmers alleged that land mortgage banks accepted blank cheques from farmers when disbursing loans, even though the land was already mortgaged to the bank as a security. Farmers’ organisations claimed that in many cases, farmers had been harassed even after loan repayment had been completed and clearance certificates were issued. They further alleged that financial irregularities had been uncovered in few cases. SKM leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that after coming to power, the state government had promised to implement a one-time settlement scheme for farmers indebted to the Land Mortgage Bank, similar to those implemented by private banks, but it had not been implemented yet. He alleged that instead of resolving farmers’ problems, the government was prioritising recovery and seizure actions. Discussions between farmers and administrative and bank officials continued well into the evening. Following assurances received at the late evening meeting, the proposed protest in Chandigarh was temporarily postponed. In a separate protest, the Computer Teachers Union, Punjab, staged a sit-in around the DGSE office for three hours on Monday to protest against the Punjab Government’s failure to fulfil its promises of regularisation and the department’s alleged anti-computer teacher policies. The teachers then launched a march toward Chandigarh, which police attempted to stop by erecting barricades. During the protest, there was considerable tension between the police and teachers. Ultimately, due to pressure, a union meeting with the sub-committee was scheduled for June 3. State union leaders said that 6,640 computer teachers in Punjab had been issued a regularisation notification in 2010 and were given regular appointment letters in 2011. Despite these steps, they are still being denied their rights, he added.
