Sugar cane growers lay siege on DC office

Mysore, Dec 26 (UNI) Sugar cane farmers from Chamarajanagara and Mysore laid siege on the office of the Deputy Commissioner here demanding fulfilment of their long pending demands.

Hundreds of farmers, under the banner Sugar cane Raitha Rakshana Samithi led by its President Kurabur Shanthakumar began their dharna in front of the DC office demanding immediate fixing of sugar cane price.

The functioning of the DC office came to standstill following the agitation as the workers and public were not allowed to enter the office by the agitators.

Addressing the agitators Mr Shanatkumar said that the District Administrations of both Mysore and Chamarjanagara should invite all the sugar factory owners for a meeting and decide the sugar cane price as well as other demands including agricultural loan policy The Government should stop collecting the power bill for the agricultural pump sets and the government should release Rs 25,000 per hectares for the sugar cane growers immediately. The sugar factory should accept the sugar canes from the farmers as per the agreement and make the payment as early as possible.

The agitators, however, withdrew after an assurance from DC N S Channappa Gowda to convene a meeting of all the sugar factory owners and the bank officials on December 29 to discuss various issues of the farmers.

UNI