Solapur, June 10

Hundreds of farmers intensified their agitation on Wednesday by staging a dramatic ‘Jal Samadhi’ (water immersion) protest in Kambar Lake on Vijapur Road in Solapur, demanding payment of long-pending sugarcane dues from Gokul Sugar Factory at Dhotri. The protest, organized by the Gokul Pending Sugarcane Dues Farmers and Farmers’ Struggle Committee from Tuljapur and Akkalkot, entered its 17th day.

Around 1,000 to 1,500 farmers participated in the protest, wading into the waters of Kambar Lake and raising slogans against the sugar factory management for failing to clear their outstanding payments.

Expressing their anger, the protesting farmers said, “We have worked hard to cultivate sugarcane, yet we are not receiving our rightful payments on time. Sugarcane dues are our right, not an act of charity. Delayed payments have pushed many farming families towards financial distress.”

The large-scale protest prompted authorities to convert the Kambar Lake and Vijapur Road area into a heavily guarded zone. To prevent any untoward incidents, a substantial police force was deployed, while fire brigade personnel and rescue teams remained on standby.

Earlier in the day, farmers marched on foot under the scorching sun from their sit-in protest site near the District Collector’s office to Kambar Lake. Upon reaching the lake, they entered the water and continued their agitation, demanding immediate clearance of the pending dues. Several farmers also voiced their grievances before officials present at the site.

For security arrangements, nearly 150 to 200 police personnel from Sadar Bazar, Vijapur Road, and Salgar Vasti police stations were deployed. Senior officials, including Assistant Commissioners of Police Ambika Kure, Dilip Pawar and Pritam Yawalkar, Police Commissioner M. Rajkumar, Tehsildar Kiran Jamdade, and Sub-Divisional Officer Sumit Shinde, were present during the protest.

With the issue of pending sugarcane payments still unresolved, farmer leaders warned that the agitation could become more intense in the coming days. The farming community is now closely watching the response of the district administration and the factory management to their demands.

000