Karnataka - Mysore   

Farmers protest against ‘defective' tractors

MYSORE: A large number of farmers, led by executive president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) Kodihalli Chandrashekar, on Monday staged a protest in Hassan against a Pune-based tractor company for having supplied “defective” tractors.

The farmers pulled the tractors from the Hemavathi statue to the office of the Deputy Commissioner and parked them on the office premises.

Raising slogans against the company, the farmers urged the Government to take back the “faulty” tractors.

Alleged

They alleged that they had been cheated by the company as it had supplied defective tractors which broke down within four months.

Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Chandrashekar said that the company had supplied 48 tractors to the farmers through various commercial banks that provided loans and had assured them of extending subsidy. The tractors did not run for even three months and had become a liability to the farmers.

He alleged that the company officials convinced the farmers that the tractors would give 18 km for 2 litres of diesel.

He said that the farmers approached the Consumer Court in Hassan in 2007.

The Consumer Court ruled that the company should provide compensation to the tune of Rs.1.48 lakh along with Rs.15,000 which the had farmers spent on repairs. However, with the company shutting shop, the farmers were left in a fix as they could not repay the loans they had taken the bank, he said.

Accusing the Minister of Agriculture and secretary to Department of Agriculture of conniving with the tractor company, Mr. Chandrashekar said that the Government should make them responsible for the plight of farmers.

Farmers leaders including Kanagal Murthy, Anekere Ravi and Swami Gowda also participated in the protest.

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