Raju Shetti says sugar mills to be shut from tomorrow, cane tractors and trucks to be stopped
Farmer leader Raju Shetti has warned that the state's sugar mills will be shut from tomorrow and cane transport and sugar dispatches halted, escalating the workers' agitation.
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The issue of cane-cutting labourers and sugar workers has heated up in recent days. Farmer leader Raju Shetti has changed the direction of the agitation with a major step. He has warned that the state's sugar mills will be shut down from tomorrow, and that the decision has been taken to intensify the agitation further.
Shetti also said that tractors and trucks carrying sugarcane will be stopped. Sugar will not be allowed to leave the mills either. The question has now arisen as to when a resolution to the workers' demands will finally emerge.
Earlier, it had been announced that the agitation would begin on October 22. Its direction has now been changed. According to Raju Shetti, an attempt will be made from tomorrow itself to halt the mills' operations by stopping the transport of cane.
The intention has been expressed to continue the agitation until all the workers' demands are accepted. He also made clear that, to put pressure on the mills, cane transport and the dispatch of sugar will be opposed.
Abhijit Dipke has announced that protesters will reach the Krishna sugar mill at Rethare at 10 am tomorrow and get the mill shut. Raju Shetti said an attempt will be made to shut three sugar mills tomorrow itself.
For the time being, the stance of holding off highway and road blockade protests has been adopted. In their place, the strategy appears to be to take the agitation forward by directly targeting the sugar mills and cane transport.
Tatyasaheb Kale has also taken a tough stand on the agitation. He has warned that until the demands are fully accepted, not a single sugar mill in the state will be allowed to start from October 22.
On one side, farmers' organisations have turned aggressive over the question of cane price, while on the other the agitation of sugar workers and cane-cutting labourers is also gathering pace. The two agitations are feared to affect the sugar industry. All eyes are now on whether the cane crushing season will begin on time this year, whether the functioning of the mills will be disrupted, and when the workers' demands will be resolved.
