Sugarcane farmers protest against pending dues at CM’s office

The ongoing struggle of sugarcane farmers in Dhuri has intensified as they staged a protest by throwing sugarcane in front of the Chief Minister’s local office. The farmers are demanding the operation of the local sugar mill and the release of pending payments amounting to approximately 17 crore rupees from the previous year’s sugarcane crop. In response to the farmers’ agitation, the administration has heightened security at the Chief Minister’s office.

For several days, farmers in Dhuri have been urging the authorities to operate the local sugar mill to facilitate the sale of their harvested crops and to receive the pending payments. Frustrated by the lack of resolution, their protest took a more demonstrative form as they threw sugarcane in front of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s office in Dhuri.
Harjeet Singh Bugara, the convener of the Sugarcane Farmers’ Struggle Committee, expressed the farmers’ grievances, stating, “Despite repeated false promises and claims by the administration, their struggle has been ignored. Now, the situation has escalated, and they will not remain silent. They announced setting fire to the sugarcane and burning it if necessary.”

In an effort to address the issue, the local SDM, Amit Gupta, arrived at the scene and held a meeting with the farmers. Following the meeting, he assured the issuance of receipts for sugarcane purchases to all gathered trollies and announced that receipts would be provided to arriving trollies the next day. Gupta pledged to conduct a meeting with the Commissioner and farmers to discuss further resolutions. In response, the protesting farmers lifted the sugarcane and concluded their demonstration.