Haliyal: Urging fulfillment of various demands including fixing a fair price for sugarcane before commencing the crushing, sugarcane growers staged a rasta roko protest in Uttara Kannada’s Haliyal on Thursday morning. The police detained some of their leaders and later released them.
The rasta roko began at around 11:30 am and went on for more than two hours.
Addressing the protesters, Paramatmaji of Dwarpur Paramatma Mahasansthan, Dharwad, said that the sugarcane growers of Haliyal have been holding indefinite protests for the fulfillment of their demands for the last 30 days. However, the government has not responded to their demands. The protest will not be withdrawn until the demand is met.
“At the end of every month, government employees get their salaries credited to their bank accounts. So, they do not feel the pinch. But a farmer who has worked hard throughout the year does not get a fair price for his crops. This pinches them hard. The government though realises the problem has remained mute,” the seer said.
Taluk Sugarcane Growers’ Association President Kumar Bobati alleged that the local political leaders are trying to suppress the struggle of the sugarcane growers through various means. But sugarcane growers will not give up and will give an appropriate reply to such leaders in the coming days.
Meanwhile, when some leaders were being taken into custody claiming that the rasta roko was illegal, hundreds of activists blocked the road and demanded the release of their arrested leaders. As the protest turned stern, the arrested leaders were immediately released by the police. Later the farmers staged a protest before the Tahsildar’s office.
Subramanya Swamiji of KK Halli Nithyananda Ashram, Krishnananda Bharathi Swami of Adishakti Peetha, former MLC S L Ghotnekar, farmer leaders Mallari Ghadi, Shankar Kajagar, Pundalik Godimani, Ashok Meti, Saturi Godimani, Ramdas Belgaonkar, Basavaraj Bendigerimath of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Kamala Sequeira, Shivanand Kammar of Karnataka Navanirmana Sena, ex-servicemen of Haliyal and Alnavar, Belagavi District Sugarcane Growers’ Association President Chinnappa Pujari and others were present.
Haliyal Bandh
As part of the bandh call given by sugarcane growers, all shops in Haliyal town were kept closed on Thursday morning to extend support to the protestors. However, medical stores, banks, public transport vehicles functioned as usual.