The Bihar unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has threatened to launch an indefinite dharna before all the sugar mills in case the state government failed to fix sugarcane price at Rs 73 per quintal by February 21. The Patna High Court had struck down the sugarcane price of Rs 70 per quintal for 1996-97.
Referring to the recent judgement of the Patna High Court, BJP leader and leader of the opposition Sushil Kumar Modi said that the ruling was based on the judgement given by the Allahabad High Court.
He said that the Chief Minister, in collusion with powerful sugar lobby, did not announce the price of the sugarcane before the commencement of the crushing year in November. This gave an opportunity for the mill owners to move the court. He said despite the order of the Allahabad High Court, the UP Governor had entered into an agreement with the cane growers that private mills and government owned mills would pay to the farmers at the rate of Rs 70 and Rs 72 per quintal respectively.
The Governor also announced that he had sent a draft ordinance to the Centre for approval to keep the power of cane price fixation with the state government. This could happen with the concerted agitation and `gherao of the Rajbhawan by the UP unit of the BHP, Modi said.
The leader of the opposition suggested that Bihar government should take a lesson from the neighbouring state and promulgate an ordinance on the pattern of UP in the wake of recent judgement of the Patna High Court in the interest of the hapless farmers.
Modi said that the state government should maintain the convention of the past 20 years fixing the cane price at Rs one above its price fixed by the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh. Hence the chief minister should ensure that the cane growers are paid at a price of Rs 73 per quintal. He lamented that the Mill owner not prepared to pay at the rate of Rs 71 per quintal that was fixed during the last crushing season when the prices of the inputs used in cane production had increased manifold.
Expressing concern over the governments apathy towards this one-thriving industry of north Bihar on which the livelihood of over 10 lakh families depended, these loaders said that when Laloo Prasad Yadav came to power 15 sugar mills under the corporation were functioning but today only eight are in running condition.
BJP Kisan Morcha general secretary Durga Das Rathor maintained that three sugar mills at Maraurah, Chanpattia and Chakia were established in north Bihar under the union textiles ministry. The Maruarah Mill is likely to be restarted but two mills had been abandoned for the reasons best known to the ministry. Rathor also blamed the state government of taking advantage of the Rs 1600 crore Sugarcane development fund to modernise the sick sugar mills of the state.
These leaders have welcomed the announcement of the Centre to set up seven new mills in Bihar but demanded that before establishing new units, it should initiate action to revitalised to sick units. The BJP leaders said that soon a delegation would call on the concerned ministers and officials in Delhi would brief them about the sick and closed mills.
