Sending a strong message to the Powerful cane lobby, State government issued Recovery Certificates (RC) against nine big sugar cane mills on Saturday. The districts magistrates where the mills were situated have been directed to arrest the managers and other concerned officials responsible for payment of dues and if necessary than also confiscate the properties and auctioned it to make recoveries.
The mill owners were asked to immediately pay the dues along with interest to the farmers and 10 percent to the state government as collection charges. Over 84 mills across the state owned Rs 2350 crores of farmers which is yet to be paid despite of several orders. The mill owners were also asked to immediately start crushing season or be ready to face action. It may be mentioned that action has been initiated against mills owned by big groups so small owners would themselves made payments as they will also face similar action.
Giving the above information here on Saturday evening, Secretary (Sugarcane) Rahul Bhatnagar claimed that government had decided to go tough against the mills who were killing the interest of the farmers by not making payments of their dues. He said that to take stern action against the defaulters, state government on Saturday issued RCs against nine leading mills of the State. Giving details of the mills against whom RC has been issued, Bhatnagar said that the mills are Kinauni Sugar
Mill in Meerut (Dues-Rs 45.53 Cr), Kundarki Sugar Mills in Gonda (Rs 42.87 Cr), Khatauli Sugar Mill in Muzaffarnagar (Rs 49.44 Cr), Tyohara Sugar Mill in Bijnore (Rs 42.01 Cr), Ajbupur Sugar Mill in lakhimpur Kheri (Rs 40 Cr), Sheramau Sugar Mill in Saharanpur ( Rs 23.17 Cr), Dalmiya Nigohi Sugar Mill in Shahjahenpur (Rs 24.94 Cr), Gulariya Sugar Mill in lakhimpur Kheri (Rs 25.22 Cr) and Balrampur Sugar Mill in Balrampur (Rs 37.48 Cr). Bhatnagar claimed that after action has been initiated against the above mills they will carry out similar exercise against the remaining mills who failed to clear the dues of the farmers.
It may be mentioned year that a farmer who failed to pay his debt just as his dues were reportedly not cleared by Gulariya Sugar Mill in lakhimpur Kheri had committed suicide on last Thursday. Surprisingly, when the colleagues and other cane growers protested the death of the farmer, the mills owners opened fire over them through their guards in the name of Rs self-defense’ and tried to terrorise the farmers that they should either give up their agitation or get ready to face the consequences. All the Opposition Party condemned this act of the mill owners but local administration yet to take any strong action in the matter.