The principal Opposition in the State legislature, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is gearing up take the Congress government to task for its alleged failure to make sugar mills pay dues to the growers, on the floor of the legislature during the monsoon session scheduled here from June 29.
In a brief chat with presspersons, after meeting the family of sugarcane grower Gurunath Mallappa Chapgaon at Badal Ankalgi of Belagavi taluk on Sunday afternoon, Leader of the Opposition in the legislative assembly Jagdish Shettar held both the State government and the Malaprabha Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane at M.K. Hubballi responsible for the suicide of the farmer. Though Chapgaon had supplied 43 tonnes of sugarcane to the factory in February, the management had credited the amount to his account after his death.
Mr. Shettar criticised that none from the State government, not even the district in-charge minister Satish L. Jarkiholi, bothered to meet the bereaved family.
He said that nearly Rs. 3,700 crore was due from various sugar mills to the growers for 2014-15.
The government should register criminal cases against the mills not implementing government decisions and failing to clear dues.
The government should immediately release at least Rs. 1,000 crore and credit it to the bank accounts of farmers who were in need of money for kharif sowing, and recover the amount from the mills subsequently.
Remunerative price
Babu, son of Chapgaon, maintained that his father had committed suicide due to extreme stress owing to mounting debt and undue delay by the MSSK to pay the sugarcane bills on time.
“Had the sugar factory paid the bill on time, he would have managed his loans to some extent instead of ending his life; Vithal Arabhavi committed suicide for similar reasons in 2013 and now my father, the government must ensure scientific prices to the growers and timely payment,” he said.
