Farmers begin indefinite protest in front of Mukerian sugar mill

Farmers’ organisations working under the banner of the non-political Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) as per their scheduled programme began an indefinite protest in front of the Mukerian sugar mill today. During the protest, sugarcane farmers raised slogans against the state government and the Cane Commissioner of Punjab.

Addressing protesters, various speakers said the state government’s attitude towards farmers’ problems was negative. They said the government had taken misleading action regarding the operation of sugarcane mills.

Citing the Sugarcane Control Board’s meeting on November 24, leaders said the Cane Commissioner of Punjab conspired to release the notification regarding the opening of mills from November 25 on November 26, while none of Punjab Government or private sugarcane mills were operational, nor had any mill issued sugarcane supply slips to farmers.

They pointed out that the Paniyad Cooperative Sugar Mill, which was inaugurated by the Punjab Chief Minister recently, had yet to begin sugarcane crushing. In such a situation, there was no clarity on when private sugar mills would be operational, while the government had no concrete answer other than assurances, leaders said.

They said, “Every year, sugar mills are operational between November 5 and 25. Previously, mills operated in October as well. However, under the current government, there have been continuous delays in the operation of sugar mills, and this time the wait has become unbearable.”

Farmers also reported that the lack of lump-sum payment on a single slip and the pending payment of the subsidy of Rs 61 per quintal from the previous sugarcane season had caused immense furore among sugarcane growers.

Warning the state government, Amarjit Singh Rada, state president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Azad, said, “If the government does not exert pressure and accept demands of immediately restarting the state’s private and cooperative mills and make simultaneous counter payments on a single slip, the protest will continue. In the coming days, the struggle will be intensified by a complete blockade of the Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway.”

On the occasion, Satnam Singh Bagrian, state president of Pagdi Sambhal Lehar Punjab, Gurjinder Singh Jaggi, youth wing president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Sidhupur, Baba Kulwinder Singh, district president of Jalandhar, Harsalinder Singh, president of Kisan Welfare Committee Kishangarh, Hardev Singh Chitti of the BKU Sirsa, Sonu Aulakh, president of Lok Insaaf Morcha Aulakh, Sukhpal Singh Daffar, state president of the Sugarcane Struggle Committee and Thakur Dilip Singh, district president of the BKU Ugrahan addressed protesters. — OC