Hundreds of sugarcane growers of Karnal and Kurukshetra districts, who have sold their produce for crushing at the Piccadilly sugar mill in Bhadson village, have been waiting for their dues for the past around two months.
Rs 80 crore of farmers ‘pending’
Around Rs 80 crore of nearly 4,000 farmers of over 200 villages of Karnal and Kurukshetra districts are yet to be cleared by the management of the Piccadilly sugar mill. We have been making rounds of the mill, but in vain. Rampal Chahal, State Vice-president, Haryana Ganna Sangharsh Samiti
Farmers, who come from four Assembly segments Indri, Ladwa, Kurukshetra and Nilokheri of both districts, alleged that the dues were around Rs 80 crore and they were planning to protest in this regard.
“Around Rs 80 crore of nearly 4,000 farmers of over 200 villages of Karnal and Kurukshetra districts are yet to be cleared by the management of the Piccadilly sugar mill. We have been making rounds of the mill, but in vain,” said Rampal Chahal, state vice-president of the Ganna Sangharsh Samiti Haryana.
The payment is to be cleared in 14 days by the management, but after February 17, no payment was given to farmers, leaving them with no option but to protest, he said. “We will hold a meeting of the farmers in a couple of days to chalk out our strategy,” said Chahal.
Rattan Mann, state president, BKU, said dues of almost all sugar mills, including government and private ones in the state, were pending in crores. “We will protest at all sugar mills of the state on April 27 and submit memoranda to the mill managements. There is a provision to clear dues in 14 days, after which an interest of 15 per cent has to be given to farmers. If the dues, along with the interest, are not paid to the farmers by May 15, we will stage an indefinite dharna outside the Bhadson mill,” said Mann. The government should release a white paper on how much payment and interest were pending, he demanded.
Unit head of the Bhadson mill Raj Singh said the dues of around 55 days were pending and they had started clearing dues of the farmers. He, however, did not disclose how much dues were pending, but he said that they would clear the dues at the earliest.
Deputy Commissioner Anish Yadav said that he would get it inquired as to why the payment was not being cleared.
