Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana Holds Protest on Pune Bengaluru Highway Demanding Hike in Sugarcane Prices 

Former MP Raju Shetty, leader of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, stated that the meeting held by the Minister of Cooperation Dilip Valse Patil did not yearn for any result. So, the agitation for sugarcane tariff will continue. Shetty had announced to do chakka jam on the Pune-Bangalore National Highway today (Thursday) as a part of this movement.

As per further information, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has started agitation for one and a half months for the main demand of paying the second installment of Rs 400 for sugarcane broken last year. 

Some factories in Sangli and Kolhapur districts have started to cut sugarcane, causing conflict. This has started burning of vehicles, marches and counter-marches. Considering all these agitations, the Cooperation Minister organized a meeting on Wednesday.

In this meeting, the organization demanded a second installment of Rs 400 to the farmer for the broken sugarcane last year. However, sugar millers said it was a problem to pay. A verbal clash broke out between the representatives of the organization and the sugar millers over this. Finally, out of 400, the organization proposed that Rs 100 should be paid by the factories and Rs 300 by the government.

Meanwhile today, a strong agitation is going on in western Maharashtra led by Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana for their demand. Raju Shetty had warned the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana to block the Pune-Bangalore National Highway indefinitely today after the last meeting between the Cooperation Minister and Raju Shetty failed yesterday. Against this backdrop, the Pune-Bangalore national highway in Shiroli area of Kolhapur district is being temporarily blocked at ten o’clock this morning.

A large police force has been deployed at the protest site along with the entire highway. In the wake of the agitation, the police have diverted the vehicles on the Pune Bangalore highway.

Due to this protest, the highway from Kagal Lakshmi Tekdi to Shiye area has been closed. The activists of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana have raised slogans on this occasion. A large police force has been deployed to prevent the protest from turning violent.

Shreyas Vange