SHIMLA: BJP State spokesperson and a  Jubbal Kotkhai leader  Chetan Bragta, has lambasted the government action against apple farmers.

The government's decision to impose a staggering fine of Rs one lakh on beleaguered apple farmers, forced to discard their rotting harvest in drains due to impassable roads, has incited Bragta's ire.

In a  media statement, Bragta lashed out at the government's handling of the situation. He recounted a recent incident where a desperate farmer from Shimla district had no choice but to dispose of his apple crop in a drain because of blocked roads.

Instead of extending support and empathy, Bragta contends that the government has chosen to exploit the situation for political gain, leaving the beleaguered farmer to face the brunt of their actions.

Adding insult to injury, the Pollution Control Board has now issued a notice demanding the farmer pay a hefty fine of one lakh rupees.

Bragta minced no words in expressing the Bharatiya Janata Party's  opposition to this draconian move by the government.

Bragta paints a grim picture of the challenges faced by apple farmers in this agriculturally dominant region. Roads remain impassable, hindering timely delivery of produce to the markets, he said.

Fertilizer shortages persist, and the specter of autumn in the orchards looms large.

Bragta contends that the government should have engaged experts from Nauni University and the Horticulture Department to address the myriad problems afflicting the Baagwan.

Furthermore, Bragta highlights that farmers are yet to receive payment for the fruits procured under the MIS (Market Intervention Scheme) from the previous year in many cases. 

Rather than addressing this pressing issue, the government has chosen to levy exorbitant fines of one lakh rupees on these already struggling farmers, merely to appease their own ego, charged Bragta.

Bragta  proclaims that farmers will not pay  these unjust fines. Instead, he pledges to spearhead a statewide campaign to collect these fines from fellow farmers and remit them to the government.

 Bragta implores them to exhibit even a modicum of sympathy for the beleaguered farmers.

He Demands the government to retract this autocratic measure and redirect their focus towards welfare of farmers addressing their the manifold  problems.