Excise officials held ‘captive’ by sugarcane growers in Dhuri

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, September 14

Angered over the delay in the payment of around Rs 9 crore, sugarcane growers kept senior officials of the Revenue and Excise Departments in illegal “confinement” in Dhuri for around six hours. They also did not allow the administration to conduct the auction of the Dhuri sugar mill to recover the dues.

“Today our two members climbed over the chimney of the sugar mill and we have started an indefinite protest. We also gheraoed Tehsildar, Naib Tehsildar, Kanungo and Excise Taxation Officer (ETO) and another officer in the mill and allowed them to leave in the evening after the administration assured quick action,” said Harjeet Singh Bugra, chairman, Sugarcane Growers’ Struggle Committee.

Bugra alleged that ETO and other officials claimed that mill had not paid the taxes in crores and they had come to recover their money.

“Though the dues had been pending for the past around 40 years, the Excise Department never bothered about it. Today, when the administration was about to start the auction for the recovery of our money, the officials came to the spot. We will not lift the dharna till the release of the pending amount,” said Bugra.

Dhuri SDM Amit Gupta confirmed that the excise authorities had written to him their dues, but he refused to comment on it as the matter was sub judice.

“Our officials were not held captive, but in fact we were negotiating with protesters to convince them to end their protest. Since today no bidder came for the auction, we have deferred it,” said Gupta.

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