Kathmandu, Dec 17

The major opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) has demanded with the government for its positive intervention to ensure full due payment to sugarcane farmers from the sugar mill owners. NC has also demanded that erring sugarcane mills and absconding entrepreneurs be brought to justice. Issuing a press statement here today coordinator of the NC parliamentarian party’s Committee for Agriculture and Livestock Padma Narayan Chaudhary, said the NC has expressed its dismay and sorrow over the lax implementation of the agreement the government had inked with the sugarcane farmers to provide them their due payment.

Citing the sugarcane farmers taking to street in Kathmandu for four days in the biting cold of Kathmandu demanding their payments, NC pressed for immediate implementation of sugarcane farmers’ demand. Furthermore, the NC has drawn serious attention of the government towards the protest of the sugarcane farmers and called for its meaningful initiation to address the issue once for and all. Meanwhile, the Nepal Police has decided to take action against the erring sugarmill owners who owe the farmers their payments. Nepal Police’s Spokesperson Basant Bahadur Kunwar shared that concerned District Police Offices have been instructed to arrest sugarmill owners who owe payments to the farmers. Nepal Police would also file case of fraud against them as well, informed Spokesperson Kunwar.

“We have already taken statement from the farmers and issued arrest warrant. Works relating to filing fraud case would be taken forward,” said SSP Kunwar. Four sugarmill owners in Sarlahi, Rautahat and Nawalparashi districts have not paid the sugarcane farmer their dues for a year now.

The irate farmers have gathered in Kathmandu and protesting for four days. Meanwhile, a meeting attended by Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta, Minister for Agriculture Development Ghanashyam Bhusal and Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Hridayesh Tripathi among others discussed the pertaining issue of the farmers and decided to ask the police administration to take action against the erring sugarmill owners.