Karnal, Oct. 6 -- A group of farmers on Monday blocked a national highway outside Assandh grain market in Karnal, protesting slow paddy procurement and pending verification on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal. Several farmers, mostly non-political, blocked a section of the Karnal-Assandh road on NH-709a for several hours, causing heavy traffic jams on both routes. A huge queue of tractor-trolleys loaded with paddy crop, already outside the grain market added to the woes. Farmer leader Chhatarpal Singh said they had a three-hour meeting with commission agents and the market committee, urging them to allow smooth paddy purchase. "The agents are unwilling to buy and are making useless excuses. Moreover, the government has been lethargic. A farmer learns that their portal verification is still pending only at the entrance of the grain market," he said. Former Congress MLA from Assandh Shamsher Singh Gogi, who also sat among the protestors, said that when an 'anti-farmer' government is in power, farmers are bound to sit on the road to get their rights. He said it is high time the government understood the value of farmers and their pain while making seamless arrangements for purchase. It is worth mentioning that the region's ready crop suffered damage due to recent heavy rain, and farmers are facing issues related to high moisture content in the crop. In Karnal's Taroari, farmers locked all the gates of the grain market due to deductions in the name of high moisture and slow purchase. Taroari is one of the largest markets in Haryana's rice bowl. Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni called-off his call for a roadblock in Shahbad after a meeting with the principal secretary of the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department, Amneet P Kumar and Kurukshetra deputy commissioner (DC) Vishram Meena. Scores of farmers from Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Kaithal and other areas gathered near the status of Shaheed Udham Singh on Barara road near NH-44, to protest against the slow purchase and tardy lifting. Most farmers were carrying sticks with them on request from Charuni, who had called for a "do-or-die battle" against the government. After addressing the gathering at the site, Charuni and his core committee were invited for a meeting with the government delegation. The principal secretary later addressed the farmers, assuring them about government's committment of smooth purchase. "Officials in all districts have been instructed to speed up the lifting the process. The district milling committee will ensure compliance of the order and smooth arrangements. The government has also released Rs.44 crore for farmer payments, of which Rs.13 crore have been credited to their accounts. All other suggestions related to purchase will be considered for the next season," Kumar said. Meanwhile, Charuni said they were assured that verification of the MFMB portal is mostly complete, pending verification will be done at the earliest and lifting will be sped-up....