Delhi’s rural and agrarian populations have got the short end of the stick with parties keeping them out of the poll discourse and focusing attention on urban issues, several farmers complained ahead of the February 5 elections.
“In Delhi, no one says anything about rural communities and villages. Have you heard anyone discussing us?” Jai Prakash Saini, a farmer from Kushak Gaon in the Burari Assembly constituency, said.
This is the dominant mood among the farmers residing in the city’s peripheral area.
“The election discussions in Delhi are often dominated by urban issues but nobody talks about what the farmers need,” farmer Satbir Singh from Burari said.
Prodded about the promises to improve rural life made by the Congress and the BJP, several farmers said they were never given the same importance as urban issues and were forgotten after the elections.
“All are busy in capturing the attention of the urban residents. Delhi is not only about the urban population. Farmers also live here,” Vijender Singh Thakur, a farmer from Bakhtawar Pur village in the Narela Assembly constituency, said.
According to the 2011 census, the rural population constitutes 2.5 per cent of the total population of Delhi. Around 25 per cent of Delhi’s total area is categorised as rural and the remaining 75 per cent urban.
Wheat, paddy and bajra are the major crops cultivated in the national capital and vegetables are grown throughout the year.
A wave of anti-incumbency against the AAP prevails among a section of the farming community. However, some farmers still support the incumbent government for the welfare measures initiated by it.
“We can save a good amount of money because we don’t have to pay for power and water,” a daily wage labourer working in the farming sector in Narela said.
Another farmer in Burari complained that he was being wrongly charged around ₹2,000 every month for using afew bulbs.
Some complained about not getting any compensation for crop damage. “We are facing many issues. Crop damage is one among them. But we don’t get any compensation for it,” Satbir Singh, a farmer from Mukhmelpur village in Burari, said.
“Farmers take loans to buy tractors, but authorities come and seize them citing environmental laws,” Rajendra Singh Tomar from Mohammadpur village in Narela alleged.
To improve air quality in the national capital, vehicles older than 10-15 years are prohibited. The age limit is 10 years for diesel vehicles and 15 for petrol.
Several farmers complained of inflation andnot being able to get reasonable prices for their products in the market.
Neelu Namadar from the Najafgarh Assembly seat said: “The prices of other goods have risen significantly but we are still selling our produce at nearly the same low prices as last year — and even previous years.”
Farmers also criticised the land laws and pooling policies that restricted their ability to sell or transfer ownership of their plots.