Gurubani, some local songs. Farmers kept themselves occupied during the day by roaming around Chandigarh and marveling at the lovely bungalows on both sides of the broad avenues. Ultramodern Chandigarh was a great novelty for most of them coming from the villages. The farmers had made some temporary makeshift arrangement with wooden planks and cardboards to sleep during the night. The area became known as Kisan nagar. On top of each such kachcha dwelling, a stick resembling a TV antenna was also placed! In front of each hut hung a board with the name of the hut, house number and also a telephone number! When asked about the telephone connection, the farmer would reply, ‘We have made the application. Even the number has been allotted. But the actual instrument is still to be delivered!’ All these pranks came out of what they saw in the posh Chandigarh city! Every morning a government helicopter would fly over the Kisan nagar to evaluate the law and order situation. Reports were obviously reaching the government. Newspapers also carried the report everyday on front page. Considering the overall situation, Punjab government initiated talks on March 17, the sixth day. It was mutually agreed to set up an expert committee to go into farmers’ demands within fifteen days under the chairmanship of Dr S. S. Johl, Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agriculture University. Dr Johl was an internationally renowned agro-scientist who later on was awarded Padma Bhushan. He was to be assisted by three other Committee members who were to be senior bureaucrats. The Committee was to submit its report within three months. It was also agreed that while fixing the electricity tariff, the Committee would consider the actual cost of producing electricity, but while fixing the prices for farm produce as well, that same revised electricity tariff would be considered. 208
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Sharad Joshi : Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage
