Govt to take over Nizam Sugars: Farmers, factory workers in jubilant mood

Naidu privatised NDSL; Cong govt scuppered YSR’s decision to nationalise it

Nizamabad: Farmers in Bodhan, Metpalli, and Medak and the workers of the Nizam Deccan Sugars Limited (NDSL) are jubilant over the Telangana State government’s decision to take over the Nizam Sugar Factory. The Factory, situated in Shakkarnagar in the town of Bodhan, the biggest in the Asian continent, has been plagued by several problems and has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Owing to the negligence on the part of previous governments and indifference of the management, the sugar factory continued to incur heavy losses and was not even in a position to pay salaries to its staff and could not clear the bills of farmers. The sugarcane growers could not get remunerative price for their produce.

During the 2014 general elections, Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrashekara Rao assured the farmers and the workers of the NDSL that the TRS government would take over the factory and mitigate their sufferings, putting an end to privatisation of the factory. He also promised farmers partners in running the company.

Three days ago, he reiterated the State government’s intention to take over factory. The workers and the farmers demanded that the factory should be run under the direct control of the government to protect their interests.

The NDSL was set up in the year 1936 by the Nizam of Hyderabad on 16,000 acres covering 14 agricultural fields at Bodhan as the largest agricultural-based industry. This factory made its impact felt on the socio-economic development of the district leading to the expansion of the sugar industry across the State and giving employment opportunities to nearly 5,000 people. The area of sugarcane cultivation also expanded.

Gradually, over the years, the sugarcane cultivators began to make profits in Bodhan and its units were established at Mumbojipalli in Medak and also in Muthyampet village in Metpalli mandal of Karimnagar district. The crushing capacity of these units rose to 2,500 tonnes.

The profit-making Nizam Sugars was handed over to a Delta Paper Company under joint venture in 2002 by the then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Later, in the year 2004, when the late Y S Rajaskehara Reddy became the Chief Minister, he appointed a Legislative committee to probe into it.

The committee, in its report submitted on August 31, 2006, recommended that the government should take over the three units of NDSL.

However, after the death of YSR in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009, the succeeding Congress governments put the committee’s recommendation on the backburner.

Now, after the bifurcation of the State, the TRS government has decided to honour its promise and take over the factory bringing cheer to the farmers and workers.