UP sugarcane dues at Rs 7,000 cr as Adityanath's Aug 31 deadline expires

Bulk of arrears owned by Bajaj Hindusthan, Simbhaoli, Modi groups

Even as the August 31 deadline set by chief minister Yogi Adityanath for Uttar Pradesh sugar mills to settle farmers’ arrears expired yesterday, the outstanding amount stands firm at nearly Rs 7,000 crore.

Against net payables of Rs 33,047 crore for the 2018-19 crushing season, the unpaid portion of Rs 7,000 crore represents 20% of the total amount even as the next 2019-20 cycle is less than two months away. Bulk of the outstanding is owed by private sugar mills, topped by Bajaj Hindusthan, Simbhaoli and Modi groups.

The state government had warned defaulters with possible filing of cases under Section 3/7