Members of the Khyatigrastha Aakhu Chasi Mahasangha, a federation of sugarcane cultivators, gheraoed the Assembly on Tuesday demanding immediate payment of arrear dues to cultivators and reopening of the Nayagarh sugar mill.
In a memorandum to the Governor, Mahasangha president Bijay Kumar Nanda said the farmers have not received their dues for the cane supplied to the mill for a long period.
The State Government sold the Nayagarh sugar mill to one Trailokya Mishra at very low cost in 2004. Mishra duped the sugarcane farmers and mill employees, said Nanda.
He alleged that Mishra duped the sugarcane farmers of around Rs 5 crore.
He pointed out that Cooperation Minister Damodar Rout had announced in 2015 that the Government would initiate a process to resume operations of the Nayagarh sugar mill, but the move was not successful.
A protest meeting was also held on the occasion. Prakash Rath, Goutambudhha Singh Samant and Sudhir Tripathy were present, among others.