Jajpur: Closure of five sugar mills in Odisha has dealt a heavy blow to the sugarcane cultivation in the state, a report said. Many alleged that this has happened due to the apathetic attitude of the Odisha government which has only been promoting mineral-based industries while completely ignoring agri-based cooperative industries. The shutting down of Bargarh, Nayagarh, Badamba, Krushnanagar and Bijayananda sugar mills are cases in point.
The Aska sugar mill is the lone sugar mill to remain functional in the state. This development has led to a sharp decline in sugarcane cultivation in Odisha.
The matter came to fore from a reply submitted by deputy registrar (marketing) of the cooperative society in the State Assembly over a question by MLA Prafulla Samal. The deputy registrar said that among the closed down sugar mills, the one at Bargarh and another one at Bijayananda in Bolangir district are lying defunct.
The sugar mills at Nayagarh and Badamba have been handed over to Nayagarh Sugar Complex Ltd and Lakshmipati Balaji Sugar and Distillery Pvt Ltd respectively following sale agreements in 2004 and 2005.
The Bargarh sugar mill was closed down after suffered from the 2017-18 fiscal which pushed it into financial crisis.
The authorities failed to repair or replace old machines following which crushing of sugarcanes and sugar production came to a grinding halt in this mill.
The Bijayananda sugar mill was closed down from April 6, 2014 following serious financial losses due to severe irregularities. A sum of Rs 52.23 crore given as loan by the state cooperative bank in Bhubaneswar is lying outstanding on the sugar mill following which the bank initiated process to auction the mill.
The Odisha government tried to make the Bargarh sugar mill functional and roped in two experts from the Central Institute of Sugar (CIS) in Kanpur to make a feasibility study.
The experts visited the sugar mill and submitted a detailed project report to the state government comprising a plan outlay of close to Rs 22 crore for its revival. Earlier the government had allocated over Rs 40 crore during the last 11 years to the mill. However, misappropriation of funds led to the closure of the mills.
While the Odisha government is trying to revive other sugar mills it has overlooked the one at Krushnanagar village under Bari block in Jajpur district. The sugar mill was inaugurated by former minister Kanhu Charan Lenka in 1975. Over 100 workers and other officials were working in it. Among them 20 were permanent staff while the rest were casual workers.
The sugarcane farmers of Gamu, Krushnanagar, Serpur, Panikana, Benjarapur, Matiapada, Haladibasant and Balia used to supply their harvest in bullock carts. However, it soon became defunct and is lying closed from November 21, 1988. Nobody seems to be interested for revival of this mill while the priority is being given to establish of industries at Kalinganagar in the district.
PNN
