Hundreds stage protest in Nashik, rounded up

Nashik: Hundreds of farmers staged their ‘chakka jam’ (road blockade) in Nashik district as part of their state-level agitation on Monday, Shetkari Sukanu Samiti (farmers’ steering committee) sources said.

The farmers are demanding complete waiver of all types of agriculture loans among their other demands, and the Sukanu Samiti had called for a state level road blockade on Monday. Superintendent of police Nashik (Rural) Sanjay Darade said some agitators were rounded up and released in the district but no arrests were made.

“About 2,000 farmers blocked the Chandori road in Chandori (in Nashik) while traffic was held up in Manmad town as the agitators refused to budge from the road. Naitale village in Niphad tehsil observed a complete strike as police threatened the farmers with cases,” said Raju Desale, a member of the Sukanu Samiti in Nashik.

Hundreds of farmers converged on Ghoti Toll Naka where they also demanded scrapping of the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway, also known as the Samruddhi Mahamarg.

Leaders from all political parties participated the agitation. The protestors later gave a memorandum of their demands to the tehsildar.

Bharat Tile and Deepak Gaidhani, two farmers who took part in the protest, said traffic towards Pune and Shirdi was stalled for a while as farmers at Palse and Shinde villages and Sinnar Phata square staged agitations on the Nashik-Pune Highway.

The agitation was peaceful and traffic was allowed after a while, they added.

Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets in the district, however, continued to function but with less attendance.