Clear cane dues or face stir: Farmers to mill

Tribune News Service

Ambala, March 10

Sugarcane farmers on Wednesday held a mahapanchayat outside the gate of Naraingarh sugarmill over the delay in payment of sugarcane, held the mill officials captive for a couple of hours and served an ultimatum of 10 days to clear their dues. Otherwise, they would launch a stir, they warned.

The farmers gathered under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) and Ganna Sangharsh Samiti have called the next mahapanchayat on March 22.

BKU(Charuni) spokesman Rajiv Sharma said, “Payments of around Rs 102 crore of the ongoing season and around Rs 6 crore in the form of post-dated cheques of the previous season are pending. The mill has a sugar stock of over Rs 40 crore. The mill authorities have been giving assurances only and but the payments are not being cleared on time. The farmers are being forced to take harsh steps by the mill authorities and the government.”

BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni said, “The authorities have assured that they will clear the payments up to January 20 by March 20. If the payments are not cleared, we will hold the next mahapanchayat on March 22 and may give a call to not allow the sugarmill to function and also block the road. The next strategy will be chalked out during the mahapanchayat.”

Chief Executive Officer, Naraingarh Sugarmills, Narender Malik said, “We have talked to the higher authorities to pledge the sugar stocks available. We will get the pledge money and we will try to clear the payments up to January 20 by March 20. We are trying our level best to clear the dues of the sugarcane farmers at the earliest.”