Haryana: Delay in paddy lifting triggers chaos in Karnal, Kurukshetra

As the paddy harvesting season draws to a close in Haryana, several grain markets remain overcrowded, with tractor-trolleys lined up outside purchase centres due to sluggish lifting of procured stock.

On Friday, the situation escalated at Karnal’s new grain market, where authorities temporarily halted procurement operations citing space constraints.

However, farmers protested the sudden suspension, saying the short notice left them with no option to store their harvested crop, risking damage and financial loss.

The announcement sparked midnight chaos at the grain market’s main gate as hundreds of farmers arrived with tractor-trolleys loaded with paddy.

Sub-inspector Rajan Kumar, in charge of the police post at Sector 4, said, “The long queue led to a traffic jam-like situation on the NH-44 service road. Police teams were rushed early in the morning to clear the rush and prevent any confrontation with market officials.”

Market Committee secretary Asha Rani said that to ease the congestion, the process of issuing gate passes was expedited and farmers were allowed to enter the mandi with their produce.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Sir Chotu Ram spokesperson Bahadur Mehla criticised the five-day market closure, calling it “a conspiracy to loot farmers.”

“Government officials are plotting to plunder the farmers. Closing markets will not solve their problems. The paddy is lying in the mandis but not being lifted. Many farmers are being forced to sell their crop for ₹1,700– ₹1,800 per quintal. The government cannot evade responsibility by only punishing minor officials,” he said.

Earlier five officials were suspended over alleged irregularities in paddy procurement.

A day after three officials in Karnal were suspended for issuing fake gate passes, two officials in Kurukshetra — inspector Naveen Kumar and assistant Brij Mohan — were suspended on Saturday for negligence in procurement and firm registration, according to deputy commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena. Naveen has been assigned to the Sirsa DFSC office, while Brij will report to the DFSC, Sonepat.

Earlier, the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board suspended Karnal mandi supervisors Hardeep and Ashwani, along with auction recorder Satbir. Market Committee secretary Asha Rani said a thorough probe had been ordered.

Karnal deputy commissioner Uttam Singh also confirmed that physical verification of paddy stocks in rice mills is underway after discrepancies were found between recorded purchases and actual stock.

“All sub-divisional magistrates have been directed to verify paddy stocks immediately and submit reports,” he said.

The move follows farmer union protests at inter-state borders, where activists claimed to have intercepted illegal transportation of paddy from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to Haryana mandis. Unions have alleged that despite lower production this year, arrivals in Haryana’s mandis are unusually high compared to last year.

This article has been republished from The Hindustan Times.