Leader Of Opposition in the Telangana State Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Thursday flagged off 'Maha Padayatra' demanding the revival of the Nizam Sugar Factory. The 60 km Padayatra, undertaken by former minister Sudarshan Reddy and other Congress leaders, took off at the Kollur village of Kodgire mandal in the Nizamabad district today.
TPCC Working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC Spokesperson Madhu Yashki Goud, ex-MP Suresh Kumar Shetkar, MLC Akula Lalitha and other senior Congress leaders of Nizamabad district participated in the Maha Padayatra.
Speaking on the occasion, Shabbir Ali slammed the TRS government for not fulfilling the promise of reviving the sugar factory within 100 days of assuming power. He said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao himself had promised that the State government would take over the factory from private parties that hold 51% stake in it. However, the CM had done nothing even after 900 days of coming to power.
Shabbir Ali also said in December 2015, the Nizam Deccan Sugars Limited (NDSL) had announced the closing of three of its units at Mambojipally in the Medak district, Bodhan in the Nizamabad district and Metpally in the Karimnagar district.
The closure had a negative impact on the lives of 10,000 sugarcane farmers. After the closure of the NSF units, farmers were asked to sell their yield to sugar factories of Maharashtra with the promise of payment of additional transportation charges of nearly Rs. 3 crores.
Shabbir Ali claimed that the farmers got paid neither by Maharashtra nor by the Telangana government. The government also did not clear Rs. 5 crores towards Purchase Tax at the rate of Rs. 60 per ton.
He said that the closure of the historic sugar factory has ruined the livelihoods of thousands of families. He warned that the Congress would launch a mass agitation if the government failed to revive the Nizam Sugars and other sick industries in the State.