Up in arms against the failure of the state government to make payment of arrears to sugarcane growers and to accept the other demands of farmers, the Bharti Kisan Union — Lakhowal (BKU) has decided to hold indefinite gherao at the residence of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Announcing this after a state-level meeting led by senior vice-president Shamsher Singh Gharooan here today, secretary general Ramkara Singh Rama and general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal said that if the farmers marching towards Chandigarh are stopped anywhere on the way, the agitating farmers would start dharna at that place.

The BKU leaders said that farmers would accept the order against stubble burning only if the state government implements its report submitted before the National Green Tribunal that states that financial assistance and subsidy on farm machinery would be given to farmers for dealing with the problem of stubble.

“Even though the government has given an undertaking to compensate farmers for the expenditure incurred on the underground treatment of stubble, not a penny has been given to any farmer till now,” said the BKU leaders.

They added that the farmers would follow the ban on stubble burning only if the government provides cash assistance of Rs 5,000 per acre for this alternative treatment of stubble.

Among other demands made at the meeting were: Allowing export of potatoes to save producers from distress sale, remitting loans of up to Rs 2 lakh as per the election promise, making arrangements for purchase of cotton by the Cotton Corporation of India from September 15 and securing the riverwaters of Punjab.