Belgaum: Minister for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation S.A. Ravindranath, who also holds Sugar portfolio, has promised to bring in changes in the price fixation mechanism for sugarcane so that the growers got a better price for their produce.

Addressing presspersons here on Sunday, Mr. Ravindranath said he would consider the demand from the growers on fixing prices of sugarcane not only on the "recovery" of sugar but also from the proceeds from other byproducts of sugarcane such as molasses. Even the income earned from co-generation units could be considered for giving judicious share to the growers, he said.

He said he would meet Chief Minister H.D. Kumarswamy and try to get a better deal for the sugarcane growers, who have been demanding better price for their produce.

He said the Government was taking steps to revive all the 22 sick sugar factories so that they could start sugarcane crushing operations from this year. The Government would either hand them over to private parties or to anybody who came forward to run the factory from this year, he said. The crushing season starts in October second week.

The Minister said he was not aware of the outcome of the CoD inquiry conducted into the mismanagement and financial irregularities in the Sri Bhagyalaxmi sugar factory.

On the managements of sugar factories delaying payment of sugarcane bills to growers, he said the Government would take action against managements who fail to make payments with the stipulated 14 days from the date of supply of sugarcane.

Molasses

Mr. Ravindranath said the State had a stock of 70,000 tonnes of molasses worth at least Rs. 21 crore.

He would take up the matter at the Cabinet level and explore the possibilities of exporting the stock.

Mr. Ravindranath said the Government had made a budgetary allocation of Rs. 750 crore towards rural drinking water supply schemes for 2006-07. Of this, Rs. 300 crore had been earmarked to be spent in 11 districts of north Karnataka.

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