Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Jun 24: Thousands of sugarcane growers converged in the city on Monday June 23 to pressurize the government to meet their demands. Their demands include payment of dues that are withheld by various sugar factories in the state over the years.

The farmers went on a protest march from the railway station to Freedom Park. On account of this march, traffic was thrown out of gear, as vehicles got stranded for hours together. A large number of farmers, who tried to lay seize to Vidhan Soudha, in protest against the failure of the state government to meet the assurances it had doled out to them in the past, were arrested by the policemen.

The government on its part, has begun issuing recovery notices to defaulting sugar factories, which have kept huge sums of money pending for payment to farmers towards canes supplied to them over the years. The government plans to consider these dues as land revenue and take action as per the act to recover money by all means including auction of the property.

The issue echoed in the state assembly, with leader of the opposition, Jagadish Shettar, and JDS deputy leader, Y S V Dutta, moving adjournment motions on the issue. Shettar pointed out that some ministers of the government including Satish Jarkhiholi and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who own sugar mills, have not been heeding the government's order to clear dues to the farmers. They therefore, demanded for the ouster of these ministers from the cabinet.

The issue gave rise to lot of heat in the assembly with the speaker setting aside time for detailed discussion on the issue. Discussions will continue on Tuesday, at the end of which the farmers hope they will get some relief.