Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court today directed Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that sugarcane growers in the state were paid 75 per cent of their dues by July 15 and that legal action was taken against Directors of those sugar mills which failed to pay up in compliance with the order.
The order was passed by a division Bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Manoj Gupta on a PIL filed by Rasthriya Kisaan Mazdoor Sangathan drawing the court's attention to the plight of sugarcane growers in UP.
The court, while fixing July 28 as the next date of hearing in the matter, ruled that the 75 per cent of dues payable to farmers be paid to them in three installments.
The court has laid down that 25 per cent of dues should be paid by June 15, another 25 per cent by June 30 and another 25 per cent by July 15.
The court noted that the dues payable to farmers was to the tune of Rs 985.34 crore for cooperative sugar mills, Rs 23.91 crore for cooperative sugar corporations (nigams) and a staggering Rs 8682.91 crore for private sugar mills.
The court also directed the state government to provide details of dues paid to farmers, in compliance with today's order, on the next date of hearing.
ITALY-LAMBORGHINI
