Sugarcane farmers protest move to ‘set up’ distillery unit at Thirumandagudi
Sugarcane cultivators in Thirumandangudi and surrounding areas in Papanasam taluk of Thanjavur district have opposed the “proposed conversion” of the defunct private sugar mill into a distillery by the private management which had acquired the mill through the National Company Law Tribunal proceedings.
The cane cultivators, who were on a relay demonstration for the past 410 days demanding full settlement of cane cost with interest and relieving them from the ‘loan burden’ thrust on them by the previous mill management, staged a demonstration at the Koonamchery burial ground in front of the Pudukottai-based distillery company.
They raised slogans against the State government officials for turning a blind eye to the issue. They said setting up a brewery company in the heart of the Cauvery delta area would ruin the prospects of the agricultural operations.
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu Viviasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), organised a similar demonstration at Thirumandangudi protesting against the setting up of a brewery factory in the agricultural belt which was declared as a Protected Agricultural Zone.
