Thanjavur: Chief Minister M.K. Stalin made a quick stop at the Saliyamangalam junction along the Tiruchi-Nagapattinam highway on Thursday. During this stop, he received a memorandum from farmers’ representatives who are currently engaged in agitation to address their concerns regarding a private sugar mill in Thirumandakudi, according to The Hindu.
For over 250 days, these farmers had been participating in a relay demonstration near the premises of the Thirumandankudi Private Sugar Mill in Thanjavur district. Their primary demand was to have the bank loans, which were taken in the names of sugarcane cultivators by the previous management of the mill, settled before the mill’s re-commissioning.
Despite their previous unsuccessful attempts to meet the Chief Minister and communicate their plight, they decided to approach him during his brief stay in Kumbakonam on Thursday afternoon. Failing this, they planned to stage a demonstration with black flags.
Nevertheless, the Thanjavur district police were able to arrange a short unscheduled stop at the Saliyamangalam junction while the Chief Minister was en route to Mayiladuthurai.
Around noon on Thursday, the representatives of the protesting sugarcane cultivators had the opportunity to meet the Chief Minister at the Saliyamangalam junction. During this meeting, they presented a memorandum seeking his intervention to alleviate the financial challenges imposed on them by the private sugar mill management.
