PONDA: The sugarcane farmers and their families heaved a sigh of relief on Saturday after the Sanjeevani Sugar Factory officials confirmed that the crushing season would commence on December 12.
However, the farmers have warned the authorities that in case the crushing season does not commence on December 12, then, they would pressurise the government to forcibly start the crushing season on December 13.
Ending a month long uncertainty over commencing the crushing season, the officials said that all the maintenance work of the factory machinery, boilers and also the work of installing pollution control monitoring system would be completed before Tuesday and the crushing season would start on December 12.
The assurance that the crushing would start on December 12 was given by the factory officials after around 50 farmers protested at factory the delay in starting the crushing season. This is the second time the farmers protested the delay in starting the crushing.
The farmers demanded to know the reason for the delay and what would happen to the sugarcane cultivated by them if crushing season does not commences soon.
Earlier, on November 26, around 1000 farmers protested the closure notice issued to Sanjeevani Sugar Factory by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and also the delay in starting the crushing season.
The commencement of the crushing season was delayed as there was a delay by government in releasing the fund for annual maintenance work as also CPCB was firm on its order to install the pollution monitoring system without any relaxation.
As the farmers were protesting on Saturday, a meeting of was convened by Factory Administrator Damodar Morajkar with the farmers. The meeting was also attended by South Goa MP Narendra Savoikar and MLA Prasad Gaonkar and Sugarcane Producing Farmers Association President Rajendra Desai.
At the meeting, Morajkar and Savoikar promised that all the preparation including maintenance work on factory machinery as well installation work of pollution controlling machinery would be completed by Monday.
The farmers were also promised that by Tuesday, the Central Pollution Control Board officials would inspect the pollution machinery, file compliance report to CPCB and thereafter it would revoke the closure notice; and on December 12, the crushing season would commence.
Around 1200 farmers and their families cultivate sugarcane for their livelihood.
