Lucknow: Sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh will start crushing operations from the first week of November, said state Cabinet Minister Chetan Chauhan. Sugarcane farmers are yet to receive their pending arrears around Rs 6000 crore; therefore Chauhan directed the mills to clear the dues before the commencement of the season.
Cane growers have intensified their protest for pending arrears, and in spite of multiple warnings from the government, mills failed to clear the dues.
Sugarcane farmers in the state are worried as their past dues have not been cleared yet, and the new season is about to commence soon. They claim that their financial condition is worsening day-by-day as they have not received dues from mills. Farmers assert that they are unable to feed their families, nor able to pay school fees of their children.
Over the pending arrears issues, sugarcane farmers knocked the door of court. Following which, recently, Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to clear the cane dues with 15 per cent interest on it within a month. The petitioners had claimed that after taking a loan from the bank they had cultivated sugarcane, but due to non-payment of their dues, it has become difficult for them to repay the loans.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath set August 31 deadline for sugar mills to clear cane dues. But in spite of that mills failed to pay the arrears citing financial scarcity.
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