While the Speaker succeeded in having the Question Hour duly held on Friday-the second day of the Budget session- despite the opposition having started showing signs of belligerence, the ministers had a tough time while being besieged with pointed questions raised by the opposition members.
While replying to a question raised by MlA Qazi Nizamuddin over the present status of the dues of the State’s sugarcane growers pending with the sugar mills, the Minister in charge of sugarcane Prakash Pant said that the arrear amounted to Rs 364.82 crore for the crushing season 2016-17 and Rs 44.53 crore for the crushing season of 2015-16. However, the final figure of the arrears payable to the sugarcane growers amount to Rs 434.26 crore ,pending before the sugar mills, he informed.
Notably, arrear amounting to Rs 44.53 crore for the year 2015-15 has been pending with three sugar mills located at Sitarganj, Bazpur and Nadehi.
Pant said that on December 9, 2016, then state government had announced MSP for the sugarcane to the tune of Rs 307 per quintal for normal and Rs 317 per quintal for high quality (ageti) sugarcanes.
He further said that since BJP Government assumed charge of the State he, as the minister of the department, had convened a meeting with the officers of the departments concerned during which he had asked them to promptly clear the dues of the sugarcane growers.
“During the previous regime, the government had given loan to the tune of Rs 50 crore to each of the five sugar mills located at Bazpur, Sitarganj, Nadehi, Kichha and Doiwala. These mills have been paying Rs 96 lakh, Rs 98 lakh, Rs 57 lakh, Rs 54 lakh and Rs 62 lakh respectively by way of paying interests on the amount taken as loans from banks. Thanks to the huge amounts they are paying as interests, their condition is very pathetic. This is why they are unable to disburse even the salaries of their employees. Committed as we are to improving the plight of the sugarcane growers, we would clear their dues from the State coffer if required,” Pant said.
Reacting to the minister’s statement, the MlA Qazi reminded the Government of the promise BJP made to the people, particularly, the sugarcane growers during the electioneering. “The Governor’s speech delivered in the House in March this year mentioned the state government’s pledge to clear the arrears of the sugarcane growers in the next 15 days,” he said, adding that the reality is far from what was promised.
Pant also mentioned that arrears amounting to Rs 1.17 crore have been pending of the crushing season of the year 2007-08 and Rs 23.74 crore of the year 2011-12 with the sugar mills.
Qazi alleged that the sugar mills based in Uttarakhand had purchased sugarcanes in cash from outside the state while denying payment to the local growers who brought their sugarcane to the mills to sell. “As currently, the price of sugar is better than that of the previous year , there is no reason why the mill owners are unable to pay the dues to the growers. They must clarify when they would make the payment,” he said. He charged the State Government with shying away from informative answers to the pointed questions being raised by the oppositions.
leaving the treasury bench a tad embarrassed, BJP MlA Deshraj Karnwal alleged that the State Government was doing nothing with Iqbalpur sugar mill having made payment for mere four days of the crushing season.
Pant informed that 100 sugar mills have been declared sick and the sugar mills located at Kashipur are yet to pay Rs 1.17 crore for the crushing season of the year 2007-08 and Rs 23.74 crore of the year 2011-12. He said that the farmers’ due would be paid through cash which they would collect through auction. Replying to another question asked by MlA Preetam Singh, the state government claimed to have disbursed Rs 202.93 crore to the farmers since BJP Government assumed charge.