Date:13/03/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/03/13/stories/2004031305260300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur

Ryots attack market yard, torch records

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, MARCH 12. The dispute between hamalis and traders combine and farmers of tamarind and chillies took a violent turn today at the market committee yard at Hindupur when farmers attacked the market committee office.

Farmers barged into the market committee office, ransacked the furniture, brought the files and records outside and torched them. They broke the windowpanes of the office by pelting stones.

The district Collector, Y.V. Anuradha, the Joint Collector, Shashibhushan Kumar, the Penukonda RDO, Chennakeshava Rao, and the Penukonda DSP, Kannoji Rao, rushed to Hindupur to defuse the situation.

The tamarind and chilli farmers of Hindupur area have been agitating over the alleged fleecing by traders and hamalis for over a week now.

They have been protesting against collection of high commission of 8 per cent by the traders and taking exorbitant hamali charges by hamalis, besides the irregularities in weighing their produce. As per Government rules traders are supposed to collect only 2 per cent commission from farmers.

The hamalis have been charging exorbitantly by taking two to three kg of tamarind per every 30-kg bag and 1 to 1.5 kg of chillies per every 20-kg bag as their charges. Transactions in the market yard came to a standstill due to the dispute for the past few days.

The RDO of Penukonda held discussions with the hamalis union affiliated to the TNTUC yesterday and the latter had accepted to take Rs. 3.5 per every 30-kg bag of tamarind and Rs. 3 per every 20-kg bag of chillies as hamali charges.

The traders association accepted to reduce the percentage of commission from 8 to 5 during the talks conducted by the RDO yesterday.