Jute factory assets to be auctioned to clear farmers' dues, says Andhra Minister

Vizianagaram While denying that there was any lathicharge on farmers, Municipal Administration Minister Botsa Satyanarayana on Friday said the pending arrears of Bheemsingi Sugar Factory amounting to Rs.16 crore will be released soon.

Though there was no lathicharge on the farmers during their agitation, he told reporters here that some people with vested interests are deliberately trying to mislead the public. He said that the government is trying to provide justice to the farmers by auctioning the company's assets through the Revenue Recovery Act to ensure payment of pending dues.

Recalling the past instances, he said that the government resolved a similar issue in 2019 when the pending arrears from the factory were above Rs.25 crore. The Minister stated that the government is well aware of the hardships faced by the farmers and had taken up the responsibility although it is a private factory and didn't turn a blind eye like the erstwhile TDP government.

The Minister said that the issue will be resolved at the earliest possible, where the government has seized over 30,000 bags of sugar valued at Rs.10 crore from the factory. Asserting that the Opposition parties are spreading false propaganda on this issue, he said that there was no lathicharge and the police had exercised restraint even after getting attacked. He said that the Opposition leaders have been provoking the farmers and inciting violence in the name of agitation.

The Minister slammed former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for alleging that the State turned as a hub for ganja cultivation and claimed that there was an abundant ganja cultivation during TDP rule. The YSRCP Government has been taking strict measures to stop it. He alleged that after losing elections in 2019, Naidu and his partymen have been obstructing each and every initiative of the government.