Tension prevailed in some parts of Gulbarga city for some time after an irate group of sugarcane growers threatened to stone the vehicles which defied the rasta roko agitation by the sugarcane growers and tried to break through the human chain formed by the sugarcane growers.
The sugarcane growers who were agitating against the sugar factories which failed to implement the directions of the State government by not paying the State Administered Prices (SAP) for sugarcane fixed this year. As against the SAP of Rs. 2,500 per tonne fixed by the government, the factories were paying less than Rs. 1,800 per tonne to the farmers and few sugar factories were paying as less Rs. 1,300 per tonne.
The sugarcane growers wanted the district administration to intervene in the matter and direct the factories to abide by the directions of the State government and pay SAP of Rs. 1,500 per tonne and initiate legal proceedings against the erring sugar factories.
The trouble started after the procession by sugarcane growers reached the main entrance gate of Deputy Commissioner’s office complex on the main road in Gulbarga City. Even as sugarcane growers were forming the human chain to hold the rasta roko agitation as announced earlier, some vehicles, particularly the two-wheelers, autorickshaw drivers, and a few cars tried to break through the human chain.
A section of sugarcane growersthreatened the drivers that their vehicles would be stoned if they broke the human chain formed by the farmers. The police had to intervene.
