Shetti dares CM to reveal names of mills indulging in ‘kata mari’, says submitted proof of malpractice to Fadnavis in 2014
Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president and former MP Raju Shetti accused the Maharashtra government of ignoring evidence of “kata mari” (record fudging) and sugar recovery theft by mills since 2014. He challenged CM Devendra Fadnavis to reveal the names of mills and politicians involved and demanded mandatory online weighing systems for transparency.
Kolhapur: President of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and former MP Raju Shetti on Monday alleged prolonged govt inaction against ‘kata mari’ (term locally used for fudging records) and sugar recovery theft by millers despite submitting concrete proof against the malpractices to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis back in 2014, during his first term.‘Kata mari’ refers to the malpractice where sugar mills underreport the quantity of sugar cane received from farmers, keeping a portion off the books and allegedly selling it in the black market.Shetti challenged CM Fadnavis to publicly name the sugar mills and the politicians linked to them, many of whom, the former MP alleged, were part of the Mahayuti alliance. “The chief minister has admitted to having a list of such mills. He must make it public. Even (Union home minister) Amit Shah wouldn’t dare act against them.
I submitted all the proof in 2014. CM Fadnavis should explain what happened to it and why no action was taken against those involved in ‘kata mari’ and sugar recovery theft,” Shetti said.Speaking at a programme chaired by Shah in Loni on Sunday, Fadnavis said he had requested a contribution of Rs 25 lakh from sugar mills to support farmers affected by floods. The mills, however, refused and warned of action against those involved in ‘kata mari’.Recently, Fadnavis announced a mandatory contribution of Rs 15 per tonne from sugar mills to the CM’s Relief Fund to aid the flood-hit farmers.
This decision has drawn criticism from the opposition and farmer leaders like Shetti, who argued that the burden would ultimately fall on cane growers through reduced payments.Shetti reiterated his long-standing demand for mandatory online weighing systems at sugar mills, allowing farmers to see real-time data on the weight of their cane. “Why isn’t the CM making online weighing compulsory for sugar mills?” Shetti questioned. “Govt has allocated Rs 500 crore for the use of artificial intelligence in agriculture, mostly to boost production. Why not use a portion of that to develop a smart, transparent system for weighing sugar cane?” he asked.
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Source : The Times Of India
