Sugarcane farmers in Dhuri, Punjab, intensified their struggle against the non-payment of a Rs 16 crore sugarcane dues and the non-operation of the Dhuri Sugar Mill. The farmers staged a dharna (sit-in protest) on the Babanpur canal, leading to a traffic jam on the Ludhiana highway.
The prolonged agitation by sugarcane farmers revolves around the pending amount of Rs 16 crore owed to them by the Dhuri Sugar Mill. Frustrated with the lack of resolution, the farmers decided to block the Ludhiana highway and set up a dharna on the Babanpur canal, affecting the traffic in the area significantly.
Harjeet Singh Bugra, the Chairman of the Sugarcane Struggle Committee, spoke to the media and stated that the committee had recently engaged in discussions with the administration to find a solution to the issue. However, as there has been no concrete action taken to address their concerns, the farmers resorted to more aggressive measures. Bugra explained that they had recently initiated a protest by staging a dharna and holding discussions, but the authorities failed to take any substantial steps to resolve the matter. He further warned that if the sugarcane mill’s operations were not resumed and the pending dues were not paid, the farmers would escalate their protest. The farmers emphasized that the protest aimed to draw attention to their demands, including the clearance of pending dues and the resumption of operations at the Dhuri Sugar Mill. They expressed their determination to continue the agitation until a satisfactory resolution is achieved. The traffic disruption caused by the dharna serves as a symbolic gesture of their protest, intending to bring the administration’s attention to the urgency of their demands.[
