BATHINDA: The Wednesday event to hand over farm debt relief certificates to small farmers by chief minister Amarinder Singh at his ancestral village Mehraj in Bathinda was again postponed. Now, the program is expected to be held after the Republic Day State government officials said now the event could be held on January 28. Earlier, the programme was to be held on January 22 but was shifted to January 23, but had to be delayed again. While rain forecast was given as a reason behind second postponement, some villagers had a different take.The sewerage system in the village was faulty and dirty water was stagnating on the village streets, thus villagers were unhappy with the government and wanted to raise the matter with the CM, some residents of Mehraj village said. The possibility of some token protest too was not ruled out.Mehraj, being a big village, was elevated as ‘nagar samiti’ in 2015. After the samiti elections held in February 2015, the Shiromani Akali Dal , which was in power in the state at that time had got the majority by winning 10 out of 13 seats. With control of the local body in hands of Akalis, grants were not being sent to set right the sewerage system in village, claimed nagar panchayat president Harinder Singh.After providing debt waiver of Rs 3,445 crore to over 4.17 lakh marginal farmers, Capt Amarinder was to start providing debt waiver relief to small farmers having land holding from 2.5 acre to 5 acre. The waiver certificates were to be provided of Rs 71.34 crore to 11,328 small farmers of district Bathinda. Earlier, 42,490 marginal farmers of district Bathinda were provided waiver of Rs 274.66 crore loans from cooperative and nationalised banks.Bathinda deputy commissioner Praneet Bhardwaj said, “Going by the inclement weather forecast, the programme has been postponed by some days. Though no date has been finalised but it could be held sometime after the Republic Day.”

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