Members of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene on Monday took out a protest rally here, demanding severe action against sugar mills that have been failing to clear dues of sugarcane suppliers.
The sugar mills in the district, including the State-run Mysore Sugar Company Ltd. (Mysugar) and the Pandavapura Sahakari Sakkare Kharkhane (PSSK) in the cooperative sector, owe at least Rs. 200 crore to farmers who supplied cane.
The farmers, under the leadership of Melkote MLA K.S. Puttannaiah, took out the rally from Silver Jubilee Park on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where they staged a dharna.
The mills have to clear dues for the cane procured from suppliers for the crushing seasons 2014-15 and 2015-16, the MLA said.
The State government should initiate stringent action against the mills that have also failed to pay the statutory fair and remunerative price (FRP), mandated by the government to sugarcane suppliers, he demanded.
Mr. Puttannaiah, who is also a KRRS leader, urged the State government to revive the sick Mysore Sugar Company Ltd. (Mysugar mill), appoint a senior IAS officer to the mill as a managing director and initiate drought relief measures in the district.
State organising secretary K.S. Nanjundegowda, KRRS district president M.V. Raje Gowda, Nandini Jayaram, Konasale Narasaraju, Keelaghatta Nanjundiah, Shambhunahalli Suresh, Yedushaila Sampath and others were present.
