Karnal, Oct. 5 -- Farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Tikait) blocked the Panchkula-Dehradun highway (NH-344) at Aurangabad village in Yamunanagar on Sunday, criticising the state government over multiple issues faced during the ongoing paddy procurement. A group of farmers also locked the gates of the market committee at the Gharaunda grain market in Karnal, alleging slow purchase of their crop. In Yamunanagar, BKU national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait arrived for annual meeting of the district units, to discuss paddy purchase, increasing the moisture content in paddy from 17% to 22%, increasing state advised price (SAP) of sugarcane from Rs.415 per quintal to Rs.600, a rollback of the Indo-US trade deal and others. After the meeting, Tikait along with the state unit led by Ratan Mann demanded that a senior official from the district administration must arrive at the venue to receive their memorandum. However, when no official arrived, the farmer leader drove a tractor to a nearby intersection along with his supporters to block NH-344 and obstructed traffic movement. The blockade was lifted after more than an hour, following the arrival of Jagadhri SDM Vishwanath, who sat among the farmers for nearly 30 minutes. Tikait said they were assured that the farmers will meet Yamunanagar deputy commissioner (DC), who will arrange a meeting with the state government. "They must understand what the farmers are facing. The crop is ready at the field and there is no purchase. If there is no improvement, we will take a decision at our next meeting on October 12," Tikait said. The SDM said that farmers were assured that all their local issues will be resolved at the earliest, while others will be forwarded to the state government....