Cane farmers block roads to demand dues from mill owners
Farmers in western Uttar Pradesh blocked National Highway-58 and NH-24 at many places here demanding immediate payment of their sugarcane dues.
Despite a warning by the district administration and elaborate police arrangements, the farmers succeeded in staging dharnas at Modinagar, Raj Nagar Extension, Duhai and Bhojpur on NH-58. The farmers staged a dharna
and stopped traffic at Hapur in the city. People were inconvenienced by the dharnas which began at around 10 am. Police managed to disperse the protesters by 2 pm and opened the roads for traffic.
The farmers brought their tractors and cattle to the dharna site on NH-24 and disrupted traffic bound for lucknow and Moradabad.
Bharatiya Kisan Union had given a call for blocking traffic on all the major roads in western Uttar Pradesh to press for their demand for immediate payment of sugarcane dues by the sugar mills. Farmer leader Rajvir Singh said that sugar mill owners are yet to clear farmers’ dues amounting to Rs 5,500 crore.