Maharashtra: Congress leader voices concern of farmers across India over new requirement of tractors

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader and legislator Satej Patil has lent his voice to the farmers, who across India, are up in arms against the Centre’s decision to implement GPS tracking and Black Box requirement.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of the Central Government has recently issued a new draft notification - G.S.R. 485(E) - for “haulage tractors” (goods-carrying tractors), but it does not give any clear exemption to “tractors used for agriculture.”

“The draft notification is creating confusion among the farmers,” said Patil, a former minister.

"Those sitting in air-conditioned offices in Delhi making laws for farmers have no understanding of agriculture and the hardships of farmers. Our farmer toils in the field; he does not operate commercial transport on highways. Forcing him to install unnecessary equipment costing thousands of rupees on his tractor is nothing short of directly looting the farmer’s pocket,” said Patil, who hails from Kolhapur in the sugar-belt of Western Maharashtra.

According to this rule, every tractor will be required to install an AIS-140 certified Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD). “Why is there a need to track with GPS a tractor that only moves around fields and the village area? For this, the farmer will have to bear a burden of Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000,” he asked.

Just like an aircraft, an Event Data Recorder (EDR) or ‘black box’ will have to be installed in the tractor to record information in case of an accident.

“For a tractor moving at a speed of 10–15 km/h in the field, this condition is completely meaningless, and it will add an extra cost of Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000,” he added.

“Already crushed by inflation and the unpredictability of nature, the farmer cannot afford this expense. The government must face reality and immediately cancel this oppressive notification, otherwise we will be forced to take to the streets to fight for farmers’ rights,” said Patil, the Congress legislative party leader in Maharashtra Legislative Council.

As the government has set a deadline of 18 August 2024 for submitting objections, Patil has urged farmers, tractor owners, and farmers’ organizations to send their written objections against these restrictive rules to the following email address.

“This rule will push farmers into further debt and burden them with unnecessary technology. On one hand, the government talks about doubling farmers’ income, while on the other hand, it imposes such costly rules that break their economic backbone. Therefore, the government must clearly define the term “haulage tractor” and exclude all tractors used for agriculture from it, or immediately scrap this entire notification.

“Although the rule appears to be made for the safety of commercial goods vehicles, in reality, it mandates the installation of unnecessary equipment costing thousands of rupees on farmers’ tractors. This rule is being strongly perceived as an excessive imposition of unnecessary technology and a heavy financial burden on farmers,” said Patil.

“This rule will push farmers into further debt and burden them with unnecessary technology. On one hand, the government talks about doubling farmers’ income, while on the other hand, it imposes such costly rules that break their economic backbone. Therefore, the government must clearly define the term “haulage tractor” and exclude all tractors used for agriculture from it, or immediately scrap this entire notification,” he added.