Sangrur, Punjab: Following a meeting between the district administration and protesting sugarcane growers held last night, over 250 farmers and union leaders, who had been detained or rounded up from various parts of the district for participating in the ‘Rail Roko’ protest at Dhuri on December 27, have been released from police stations, reported Tribune India.
Additionally, the district administration has scheduled a meeting on January 3 in Chandigarh between Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian and the agitating cane growers/farmer union leaders. The agenda includes discussions on issues such as the non-purchase of sugarcane by Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill in Dhuri from local growers. The agitating farmers are also demanding the resumption of operations in the mill and the release of pending payments to the farmers.
Representing the administrative side in the meeting were the Deputy Commissioner, ADC (D), SSP, Dhuri SDM, and others. On behalf of the farmers, Ganna Kashatkar Sanghrash Committee convenor Harjit Singh Bugra, along with BKU (Azad) leaders Jaswinder Singh Longowal and Dilbag Singh Harigarh, participated in the discussions.
After the meeting, farmers unloaded about 20 trolleys carrying sugarcane produce that had been parked outside the sugar mill for the past two to three days.
