Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Varinder Kumar Sharma, Commissioner of Police Mr Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and Senior Superintendent of Police Mr Navjot Singh Mahal today said that farmers would be issued Unique Identification Number for ensuring smooth and hassle free procurement of wheat in a staggered manner amidst Covid 19.Chairing a meeting here at the grain market Bhogpur for overseeing the arrangements for procurement season starting from April 15, the Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police said that the move was aimed at ensuring smooth procurement of the grains in the markets. They said that the procurement of grains would start from April 15 and would continue till June 15 adding that for the first time procurement was being done in special conditions. The officers said that the Unique Identification Number would ensure that only the farmer, who has been issued the slip, was able to come inside the grain market for selling their golden grain.The Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police said that the slips would have a special hologram and only the bearers of original slips would be allowed to entire the grain market. Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government and district administration to procure every single grain of the farmers in this hour of crisis, they said that norms of social distancing would be implemented in the right earnest. They said that access control would be ensured to decongest the grain markets.The Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police said that during the procurement coupons would be issued by market committees to Arthiyas which would be subsequently given to the farmers.
They said that a farmer would be entitled to take multiple coupons each day or on different days depending on space in order to avoid rush in the mandis. The officers further said that farmers with each coupon would be entitled to bring one trolley having about 50 quintal wheat.The Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police said that special marking has been done at the grain markets for maintaining social distance amongst the farmers. They said that 30 feet block has been marked at the mandis so that only one farmer could unload his trolley in that block. The officers said that the motive was aimed at ensuring that farmers were not allowed to gather at a single place during the procurement season to keep a check on spread of the Covid 19.The Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police further said that this was the need of the hour to meet the demands of social distance while ensuring smooth procurement of the grain. They said that every golden grain of the farmer would be procured by the district administration, though in a staggered manner. The officers said that all protocols, including provision of sanitisers, handwashing arrangements and others for the farmers and the government employees would be strictly complied with adding that a comprehensive security plan for the Mandis has been already formulated.On the occasion Additional Deputy Commissioners Mr Vishesh Sarangal and Mr Jasbir Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr AS Powar, Superintendent of Police Mr RPS Sandhu, Sub Divisional Magistrates Mr Amit Kumar, Mr Rahul Sindhu, Mr Sanjeev Kumar and Mr Vineet Kumar, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr Ankush Gupta, District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Mr Narinder Singh, District Revenue Officer Mr Jashanjeet Singh, District Development and Panchayat Officer Mr Iqbal Jeet Singh besides others were also present.