Pro-sugar mill government?
Pro-sugar mill government?
Sometimes I use to imagine if I were the Prime Minister or the minister what I would do for the nation and the people and how I would prioritize my jobs. It’s funny daydreaming. But, I am compelled daydreaming these days looking closely at the sluggish and self-centred performance of the government. It has been almost three years people have been experiencing and feeling the pulse of one of the powerful government in our political history. I do not have to exaggerate praising or to be fussy about criticizing the performance of the almost two-thirds majority government.
Looking at the on-going sugarcane farmers’ protest in the capital city for their outstanding dues to be collected from the sugar mills for the last four days in this pandemic situation and freezing winter days, I am wondering where and what are the concerned ministers and bureaucrats of the federal government were doing. They had protested in Kathmandu last year also for the same reason and were convinced by the federal government that their outstanding dues would be paid within a week. That did not happen. One year is gone without any progress. I am not so sure whether the federal government or the provincial government took any initiative to address their sufferings.
Is the federal structure properly working? Do these farmers have to come to Kathmandu to express their frustration, anger and concerns? What did the federal government and provincial governments do in the past one year to help these sugarcane farmers getting their dues amounting to about 9 billion rupees from the sugar mills? Are these government pro-farmers or pro-sugar mill owners? It is yet to be seen how the federal government will address this pathetic situation of the sugarcane farmers.
The Kathmandu Post
Sugarcane farmers refuse to sit for talks as the government dilly-dallies.
Home and industry ministers show lukewarm response to farmers, with one promising ‘lawful action’ against mill owners and the other saying infiltration by ‘middlemen’.
Sugarcane farmers have been protesting in the Capital since Sunday demanding payment of outstanding dues from sugar mills.
The government response on Tuesday was a step down from its response in January when the farmers had travelled to the Capital making the same demand.
A meeting of four ministers chaired by Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has directed district administration offices to take lawful action against mill owners who have not cleared the dues to the farmers.
