Palwal: Farmers under the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) staged a sit-in protest outside a state-run cooperative sugar mill on Monday, demanding the immediate start of the mill’s operations, which have been delayed during this year’s cane crushing season.
SKM spokesperson Mahender Singh Chauhan stated that the mill was supposed to begin processing sugarcane in the first week of November. However, the mill is still not operational as the third week of the month approaches. “This delay is creating serious problems for farmers who need to harvest their sugarcane and prepare for sowing the next crop,” he said. Chauhan added that the sugarcane growers in Palwal, Gurugram, and surrounding districts face potential losses if the mill does not begin work soon.
Local farmer leaders-including Dharam Chand Gugera and Uday Singh, former head of village Bhainsali-criticized the government for forcing farmers to protest over basic needs. “It’s sad that the farmers, who provide food for the entire country, have to fight for things that should be routine, like the timely operation of mills and availability of seeds and fertilisers,” they said.
In protest, the farmers handed over a memorandum to the sugar mill officials. The officials assured them the mill would likely get going by 24 November after the boiler was tested.
