Admin, farmers reach pact in Hisar's Khedar

The five-day deadlock between the administration and farmers over the lifting of fly ash from a power plant and other demands ended on Wednesday after a mutual agreement was reached between the two sides.

Dharampal (56), a farmer, had died and three policemen injured in a clash here near the Rajiv Gandhi thermal power project, Khedar, on July 8 as a group of protesters allegedly broke barricades put up by police.

The farmers were demanding that the fly ash emanating from the thermal plant should not be auctioned and be given to them as before. They had been staging a dharna near the power plant for the past several weeks. Farmers were opposing the decision to auction the fly ash.

The protesters under the banner of the Khedar Dharna Committee had refused to cremate the dead farmer.

The agreement was reached after talks on Wednesday, Khedar Dharna Committee spokesperson Shraddhanand Rajli said in a statement in the evening. He claimed that the administration has accepted all demands of the farmers.

The talks were held after a mahapanchayat was held by farmers on Wednesday in which BKU leader Rakesh Tikait and BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni were present.

The administration has agreed about the withdrawing all cases which were registered against farmers after the protest on July 8, the statement said.

According to the spokesperson, the last rites of the Dharampal will be performed after some farmers arrested on the day of protest are released in a day or two.

According to the agreement reached between the district administration and the farmers' committee, it has also been agreed to give job to a member of the dead farmer's family, the statement said.

A village gaushala will be allowed to lift fly ash from the power plant at Rs 37 per tonne.

The spokesperson of the dharna committee said all cases registered against farmers will be withdrawn within 15 days. He, however, warned that the dharna will be resumed if the administration violated its promise.

He said Dharampal's body will be kept in the Khedar gaushala before the last rites are conducted.