KATHMANDU: The government has decided to arrest sugarmill owners who refuse to clear their dues they owe to farmers.
A meeting chaired by Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ on Tuesday took the decision to arrest sugar mill owners who have not cleared their dues of sugarcanes they purchased from farmers on credit.
“The meeting decided to arrest those mill owners who have not paid their dues to sugarcane farmers,” a source said.
Minister for Agricultural and Livestock Development Ghanashyam Bhusal, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta and Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development HridayeshTripathi were also present in the meeting.
Earlier at a meeting with sugar mill owners held on Monday , Industry Minister Bhatta had instructed them to submit details of payment dues within 24 hours.
The decision comes in the wake of growing criticism of the government for failing to help farmers who have not been paid by sugar mill farmers for their sugarcane they purchase on credit.
Sugarcane farmers from Sarlahi have been staging protests in Kathmandu from Sunday demanding payment of dues for sugarcanes purchased by various mills.
