Take over Piccadily sugar mill: Cane growers to govt

Vishal Joshi
Tribune News Service
Pipli (Kurukshetra), December 23

Even as business magnate-cum-politician Venod Sharma organised a political rally at the mandi on Sunday, farmers from various districts gathered near the venue to protest against non-payment by his sugar mill.

Piccadily sugar mill in Karnal’s Bhadson village is controlled by Sharma’s corporate house. The Ganna Sangharsh Samiti, supported by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Haryana), had been holding a dharna in Bhadson against the sugar mill over delay in payment for a year.

The protesting farmers on Sunday carried black flags to protest against Sharma over harassment of sugarcane growers. However, the police did not allow the farmers to reach the rally venue and detained them at the Pipli Sadar police station.

Union president Gurnam Singh Charuni, who was detained by the police, said Sharma controlled a financially sound and diverse business empire, but was not clearing dues of poor farmers.

“Sharma has been raising his voice in support of the poor from the political stage, but his own corporate entity is exploiting farmers. The state government has failed to deliver justice to sugarcane growers who supply their produce to the sugar mill in Bhadson,” he said.

Rampal Chahal, president of the samiti, said the sugar mill had not cleared dues of more than Rs 11 crore since the last crushing season. He said payment to sugar growers had to be made within 14 days as per government directives, but the mill management had failed to clear dues even after a year.

“More than 1,700 sugarcane growers in Kurukshetra, Karnal and Yamunanagar districts have dues pending with the sugar mill. We want the state government to take over the sugar mill and run it as a cooperative sugar mill as a punitive step,” he said.

Chander Prakash Kathuria, chairperson of the Haryana State Federation of Co-operative Sugar Mills Limited, confirmed the delay in payment by the Piccadily sugar mill. He said a meeting had been scheduled shortly to sort out the matter at the earliest.

Karnal: The ongoing dharna of the sugarcane farmers entered its third day on Saturday. The agitating farmers assembled outside the office of the Minister of State Karandev Kamboj at the irrigation rest house in Indri. The farmers are on an indefinite dharna over the alleged non-payment by the Piccadilly sugar mill, Bhadson.

The farmers announced not to lift their dharna till the fulfilment of their demands.

Rampal Chehal, president, Ganna Sangharsh Samiti, said despite several protests, they were not given their dues.

He said the payment of Rs 11.63 crore was pending with the mill since May, but they were only given assurances.

“We will not lift our dharna till the payment of all the farmers,” he added.