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Around 7,000 protesting farmers said that the factory would create pollution and contaminate groundwater in the area.
Written by Parul Jaipur | Updated: December 18, 2025 06:53 AM IST
3 min read
Farmer leaders including Rakesh Tikait took part in the protest.
Farmers from Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday gathered at Dhan Mandi in Hanumangarh for a mahapanchayat to protest against the establishment of a proposed ethanol factory at Tibbi Tehsil by a Chandigarh-based company. The farmer leaders have vowed to continue the agitation until the decision to set up the factory is rolled back.
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Around 7,000 protesting farmers said that the factory would create pollution and contaminate groundwater in the area.
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Farmer leaders including Rakesh Tikait took part in the protest.
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More than 1400 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order. Additional forces were called in from Bikaner division and police headquarters. Internet services remained suspended in the district today, and Section 163 of the CrPC was in effect.
Spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union, Rakesh Tikait advised the protesters to keep their tractor bumpers strong, saying they would come in handy when the time comes. Rakesh Tikait said, “They say you are opposing development. We want to tell them that wherever the factory is built, the land, air, and water will be polluted. This factory is equivalent to 14 factories. Therefore, whatever decision the Tibbi struggle committee takes, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha is with them.”
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However, after a two-hour discussion with the administration, today’s Mahapanchayat was concluded. Another Mahapanchayat will be held in Sangaria on January 7th.
Meanwhile, the Department of Forest and Environment has formed a committee to investigate potential groundwater contamination and pollution from the proposed facility.
The committee will be headed by the Bikaner Division Commissioner, with the Special Secretary of Forest and Environment, being the member secretary. Additional members include the Hanumangarh District Collector, senior environmental engineers from the Pollution Control Board and the chief engineer of the Groundwater Department.
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Farmer leader, Jagjit Singh, said that we have agreed to wait for the committee report. “We have also demanded to take back the FIR filed against more than 800 people. Officials have stated that they have written it to the state government regarding this and some decision will be taken soon,” said Jagjit.
Farmers are demanding the cancellation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the ethanol plant. They are also calling for the withdrawal of cases filed against farmers and action against the officials responsible for the clashes in Tibbi.
The protest against the project intensified in July when the company began constructing a boundary wall. On December 10, farmers organised a large assembly in front of the Tibbi SDM office. By evening, hundreds of farmers reached the factory site with tractors, demolished the boundary wall and clashed with the police. – With PTI Inputsinsura
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