Kalaburagi: The Sugarcane Growers Association is urging the district administration to reopen the closure of the sugar mill operated by Siddhasiri Souharda Sahakari Niyamit (SSSN), a cooperative bank chaired by MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal, reported The Hindu.
The factory, located in Chincholi, Kalaburagi district, faces allegations of non-compliance with environmental norms, leading to its recent closure by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
Addressing the media at a press conference on Sunday, Jagadish Patil, district president of the Sugarcane Growers Association, emphasized the challenges faced by farmers in the region following the mill’s shutdown. He highlighted the aspirations of sugarcane growers for a local sugar mill that could purchase their produce, a dream realized when SSSN established the facility a few months ago. However, the government’s closure order, citing environmental norm violations, has created a crisis for farmers in the region.
Patil expressed concern about the already harvested sugarcane, stating that if the mill remains closed, the crop will simply dry up. With approximately 20,000 acres of sugarcane grown in the region, the closure without alternative arrangements for processing the harvested crop is deemed imprudent. The mill premises currently host around 500 trucks loaded with sugarcane.
The association is urging the government to either reopen the factory or purchase the harvested sugarcane. Patil suggested that if the government does not respond positively to their demand, the association may resort to agitations. He also proposed that if the mill violated existing norms, imposing a penalty would be a more reasonable approach than outright closure.
Prominent farmer leaders, including Basavaraj Patil, Shanthaveer Patil, Shanthaveerappa Hebbal, Karabasappa Ujja, and Sharanabasappa Maga, were present at the press conference to support the association’s stance.
