SANGUEM: With no response from the State Government to their demands, sugarcane cultivators on Sunday continued with their agitation for the second day at Sanguem.
While the first day of agitation saw around 200 farmers taking part in the agitation, Sunday witnessed over 400 farmers from other talukas participating and extending their support to the newly-formed Uus Utpadak Sangarsh Samiti.
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GPCC vice president Sankalp Amonkar, Sanguem’s ex-MLA Subhash Phaldessai and Rivona constituency ZP member Suresh Kepekar paid courtesy visit to the agitators.
Late evening, Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar, who was invited as a chief guest for a sports-related event, also visited the agitators but failed to convince them to withdraw their agitation.
Incidentally, the members of the Uus Utpadak Sangarsh Samiti thanked all those who helped the agitators spend the night at the venue.
Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar made it clear that he is also a farmer and will continue to rally behind the farmers till the issue is resolved.
Uus Utpadak Sangarsh Samiti chairman Kushta Gaonkar and Vice Chairperson Chandan Unandkar reposed faith in the government and the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, whom they claimed would not betray the farmers.
The agitators are demanding a written assurance from the government over the payment of compensation of Rs 3,000 per tonne to the sugarcane farmers for the standing crop and payment of the same by end of February and calculation of compensation based on highest average of crop supplied by the individual farmers during the last decade as in the last couple of years, the production was reduced considerably due to the closure of Sanjivani sugar factory.
