The Hindu : Karnataka News : Farmers lock Deputy Commissioner’s office

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Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Farmers lock Deputy Commissioner’s office

Special Correspondent

CHICKBALLAPUR: Hundreds of farmers from Bangalore Rural, Chickballapur and Tumkur districts on Monday locked the Chickballapur Deputy Commissioner’s office seeking immediate payment of Rs. 12 crore due to them from the Gauribidanur-based Siruguppa Sugars.

The farmers laid siege to Chickballapur Deputy Commissioner Anwar Pasha’s office in view of a recent statement made by him that sugarcane growers would be paid only Rs. 4.23 crore dues towards the sugarcane they had supplied to the factory in 1999-2000 and not the interest accrued on it.

The farmers, led by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) State vice-president Venkata Reddy, locked the main gate of the office for nearly two hours and staged a demonstration.

Mr. Pasha told the protesters that he had not made any statement that the interest would not be paid and claimed that his statement was distorted by the media.

He said that he would convene a meeting of the farmers at his office on January 15 to settle the matter. After withdrawing the protest, the farmers said that they would accept the payment from Siruguppa Sugars only if it payed the entire amount of Rs. 12 crore, which includes the interest due to them.

Dr. Reddy and other KRRS leaders said that the dues and interest on it should be treated as single amount and paid to farmers at one go.

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