Belagavi
In the backdrop of ongoing protests by farmers against the management of Hiranyakeshi Sugars, Sankeshwar for a delay of over six months in paying pending payments, the factory Chairman, Hukkeri MLA Nikhil Katti, responded. Speaking to media at Hukkeri town, Katti said Rs 30 crore of the pending payment to the farmers has already been cleared.
The process of clearing the remaining amount has commenced from Monday. Exploring reasons for the delay, MLA Katti said, this time, the government has delayed payment of electricity bills to the factories. Due to Lok Sabha elections, the credit cooperative societies did not come forward to give loans. Moreover, the sugar stored in warehouses has not been sold. Due to all these reasons, payments to the farmers have been delayed, he clarified.
He also stated there is nothing wrong with farmers staging protests seeking pending payments. At the same time, it is also important to know that one of the reasons behind the delay in payment is the government’s wrong policy.A couple of days ago, hundreds of farmers led by the former Minister Shashikant Naik staged a protest on the premises of Deputy Commissioner’s office against the management of Hiranyakeshi Sugar Factory. Following this, in a meeting with the farmers and the representatives of factory management, Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil instructed all the factories including Hiranyakeshi Sugars to clear the pending payments within a week.
