Farmers and workers join long march to demand water, land and minimum wages

Nashik: Scores of farmers, casual workers, health workers, and others on Tuesday joined the long march organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The march started from Rajur village in Ahilyanagar's Akole taluka and proceeded to the district collectorate office.The march will cover a distance of 148 km on foot as it traverses through Akole, Rahata Taluka, before reaching Ahilyanagar district headquarters. Their demands pertain to water, land, minimum wages, and such others. "The march started from Rajur village in Akole taluka, and has the support of hundreds of people working in various fields. We will walk to the district collectorate office, and if our demands are not met, we will decide on our future course of action," said Ajit Nawale, the state secretary of AIKS. Nawale said that the primary demand of the long march is that tribal people should get the land rights under the Forest Rights Act. "Their names should be added in the rights column of the land that they get. Farmers should get ample drinking water and water for irrigation in their villages. That will help them upgrade their lifestyle and stop migration," he said. "Anganwadi workers should get their payment regularly, and workers in various sectors should be given at least minimum wages sanctioned by the state and central govt," he said.Nawale claimed that the govt had failed to implement the demands that it had agreed to following the long march held from Nashik and from Thane recently, and even those held in 2023, including the one from Akole to Loni. Since the implementation was lacking, and hence people were forced to organise this march.Nawale said, "The Nashik–Pune semi-high-speed railway should be implemented following its original alignment through Akole, Sangamner, and Junnar, as this route would significantly benefit local farmers and tribal communities. It is worth noting that during protests at Bota Village, district guardian Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had promised to facilitate a meeting between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and local residents. However, that meeting never materialised. We will continue to press for this demand."