Cane price arrears pending on the sugar mills and the power scenario dominated the proceedings of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress staged a walkout and the Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs stormed the Well of the House on Wednesday.
Replying to a query on the pending cane arrears, the Minister of State for Sugarcane Development, Ram Karan Arya said during the Question Hour that till February 12, 2015, Rs. 19,388.17 crore cane price arrears of the 2013-2014 sugar season was pending, out of which Rs. 18747.93 crore had been paid to the growers by the mills. The Minister said this was 96.70 per cent of the total dues. He added, Rs. 640.24 crore cane dues are still pending on 10 private sugar mills.
Mr. Arya said all the mills owned by the U.P. Sugar Corporation Limited and U.P. Sugar Cooperative Mills Federation, and the 84 private mills had cleared the cane price arrears. Referring to the action taken against the defaulters, the Minister said cases have been lodged against them and steps have been taken to pay the arrears by selling their sugar stock.
Not satisfied with the Government’s reply, the Opposition created a din. The Congress and the BJP members accused the Government of guarding the interests of the mill owners. They then staged a walkout.
The Government was further cornered by the Opposition parties on the power cuts and its availability. When the Minister of State for Power Yasser Shah said the total power generation from the State’s own thermal and hydel resources is 3103 MW , Satish Mahana of the BJP wanted to know what has been the power generation position in the last three years. To a separate question on power cuts in rural and urban areas, the Minister said according to the Electricity Supply Roster, 10 hours power is being supplied to rural areas, 12 hours to tehsils, 15 hours to the districts and 18 hours to the divisions. While the big cities are being supplied 20 hours of electricity, Bundelkhand area 15 hours and the industrial areas and Taj Trapezium (TTZ) 24 hours, Mr. Shah added.
Ajay Kumar “Lalloo” of the Congress said there has been no improvement in the power scenario since 1989 after the non-Congress Governments have come to power. Even as the Congress MLA was speaking the BJP MLAs, including Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, accused the Government of misleading the House. Mr. Mahana alleged that 24 hours of power is being supplied to Kannauj and Rampur. The BJP MLAs then staged another walkout.
The Leader of Opposition, Swami Prasad Maurya, said the Government’s reply is not correct. He said according to the feedback from his MLAs, 10 hours power cut is being enforced in the Taj Trapezium area in Agra. Mr. Maurya alleged only three to four hours power is being given in rural areas. The BSP MLAs entered the Well in protest against the Power Minister’s comment that Rs. 25,000 crore power debt was left behind by the previous Government. Order was restored after the Speaker, Mata Prasad Pandey took up obituary references.
Later, the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address continued before the House was adjourned till March 2.