The Uttar Pradesh State Assembly witnessed ruckus over pending dues of the cane farmers in the state with Rashtriya lok Dal (RlD) members staging protest in the well of the House even as the BJP and BSP members staged a noisy walkout .
The RlD members squatted in the well of the House during the question hour alleging that even after several announcements no action had been taken against the erring private sugar mills and they are not paying the dues of the cane farmers in west UP.
They also alleged that the officials are in nexus with the private mill owners and hence no action is being taken.
Replying to the question of several members, Minister of State for External Aided Project, Overall Rural Development, Sports and Youth Welfare Ram Karan Arya admitted that 63.80 per cent of the total cane dues have been paid by the private mills till February 22, while 97.59 per cent of the last season’s dues have been cleared.
Arya said the cooperative sugar mills have paid 74.6 per cent of the cane dues to the farmers this season while the corporation mills have given 93.72 per cent. The private mills, however, have cleared 62.54 per cent of the dues.
Intervening into the matter, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohd Azam Khan assured the House that the government will do whatever required for full payment of the farmer dues by the sugar mills.
The peeved minister, however, said that the UP government had initiated strict action against the erring private sugar mill owners but the High Court had given them a big relief.
“Samajwadi Party is a political outfit which is concerned about the welfare of farmers. We are celebrating 2016 as Kisan Year, so there should be no confusion that the government was not serious in the matter. Every penny of the cane farmers would be realised from the mills,” he stated.
But the BJP and the BSP members were on their toes rejecting the government’s assurances. They alleged that the government was not concerned about the farmers well being and demanded a permanent solution to the issue.
The BJP and BSP later staged a walkout. The RlD members then entered into the well of the House demanding action against private mill in Modi Nagar. They alleged that the mill has not cleared Rs 300 crore of the cane arrear. “The district administration is helping the mill management,” they alleged.
Speaker Mata Prasad asked them to go back but they did not budge and sat in the well of over 20 minutes till question hour was over.