Cane growers stage dharna at Dhuri

Sangrur, April 2

Sugarcane growers under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) today staged a protest at the Chief Minister’s camp office in Dhuri to compel the state government and management of Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill to make the unit operational at the earliest.

Besides sugarcane growers, activists of the Kirti Kisan Union, BKU (Dakonda), BKU (Rajewal), Punjab Kisan Sabha and BKU (Kadian) also took part in the dharna.

Jarnail Singh Jahangir, district chief, Kirti Kisan Union, said they would oppose AAP candidate in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency as the state government was not serious to address the issue. He said a delegation of farm leaders met Dhuri SDM to make the sugar mill operational.

Sources said the district administration was is in touch with the owner of Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill.

Major Singh Punnawal of Punjab Kisan Sabha said they had met the OSD to CM who had sought seven days to talk to the mill owner. Even after two months, there’s no response from their side, said Punnawal.

Punnawal said the mill management had cleared all payments of farmers but the state government hasn’t paid Rs 1.03 crore to them so far.