Maharashtra: farmers call off long march to Mumbai against onion price

Protesting farmers and tribals, who were on their way to Mumbai from Nashik district of Maharashtra, called off their long march on Saturday with their demands being taken into consideration in the state legislature and ground-level officials receiving orders to execute the government's orders, a CPI(M) MLA said. The march had started from Dindori town, located around 195 km away from Mumbai, on March 12 demanding relief of Rs 600 per quintal to onion growers hit by price crash, 12-hour uninterrupted power supply to farmers, and waiver of farm loans. They had reached Thane district's Vasind town, around 80 km from Mumbai.

On Friday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told the Assembly that onion cultivators will be given a financial relief of Rs 350 a quintal and appealed to them to call off the protest.

"Our demands have been met. All the demands by the farmers were taken into consideration in the state legislature and collectors and tehsildars have been issued orders. We received calls from our activists that work (implementation of the government order) has begun. So we have decided to call off the march," Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA Vinod Nikole said.

He said the participants have started heading back to their homes, and the remaining people will leave by Saturday evening or Sunday.