Sugarcane farmers block Pune-Bengaluru highway at Kini toll plaza, demand Rs 4,500 a tonne first instalment

Commuters on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway faced severe hardship on Tuesday after sugarcane farmers blocked the road near the Kini toll plaza, bringing traffic to a complete halt. The farmers are demanding a first instalment of Rs 4,500 per tonne of sugarcane from sugar factories.

The agitation is being led by Raju Shetti, founder president of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. The farmers decided to take to the road after efforts to settle the payment dispute through talks failed. Representatives of the administration and sugar mill owners have held two rounds of talks with the organisation so far, but no agreement was reached at either meeting.

Earlier, the organisation had been holding sit-ins and protests outside sugar factories across the district for several days. When that too produced no result, it chose to take the protest to the highway.

Shetti reached the protest at about 11.30 am. He first visited the Shri Maruti temple at Kini and came to the spot after offering prayers there. As soon as he arrived, the farmers took over the highway and stopped vehicles. This increased the pressure on the administration and mill managements to attend to their demand.

A heavy police deployment was put in place around the Kini toll plaza in view of the blockade. More than 300 police personnel were deployed to handle the situation and prevent any law-and-order problem.

The administration diverted traffic on both sides of the affected stretch. Vehicles heading towards Kolhapur were sent along the route passing through the junction, while vehicles coming from the Pune side were diverted at Waghwadi Phata. Even so, these arrangements did not ease the crowding. Vehicle movement near the toll plaza stopped completely and a heavy traffic jam built up.

The farmers have made it clear that the road blockade will continue until sugarcane growers are given an assurance of the first instalment of Rs 4,500 per tonne. The organisation is not ready to withdraw the agitation without an agreement.

The talks have so far yielded no result. Meanwhile, an important highway remains closed, and the administration and sugar mill owners are under pressure to resolve the payment issue quickly.