Nizamabad: By working for the revival of Sirpur Paper Mills in the composite Adilabad district, the TRS government has kindled hopes among the people of people of Nizamabad district that the Nizam Sugar Factory will also be reopened.
The closure of the sugar factory and its units in undivided Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Medak districts had adversely affected the economy and deprived many locals of employment. Sugarcane farmers and factory workers also lost their livelihood with the closure of eight decade old factory.
Their efforts to get the SPM reopened earned a tremendous amount of goodwill for Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and ministers A. Indrakaran Reddy and Jogu Ramanna and Sirpur MLA Koneru Konappa.
In the run-up to the 2014 elections, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao and his daughter K. Kavitha had promised to take over the Nizam Sugar Factory within 100 days if TRS was voted to power. While that promise is yet to be fulfilled, the mood among the people is that they wouldn’t mind the long wait, as long as the sugar factory, established by the Nizam government, reopens.
The biggest sugar factory in Asia, it continued to churn out sugar during the Congress and Telugu Desam rule in undivided AP, till the time N. Chandrababu Naidu became the Chief Minister.
He privatised the factory with the Swiss Challenge method, the government’s share being 49 per cent and the private investors getting 51 per cent share.
Delta papers won the bid, and the factory was renamed as Nizam Deccan Sugars Limited.
From 2002 to 2014, the sugar factory management as well as the then state government had faced several charges and criticism for alleged mismanagement.
Citing falling sugarcane cultivation and other administrative problems, NDSL laid off its employees and closed after formation of Telangana state.
Opposition parties, people’s organisations, sugarcane farmers and workers have demanded reopening of the sugar factory, which is main source for all time development of Bodhan town and prosperity of sugarcane farmers. Recently, Telangana Samajika Porata Samiti founder President Uppu Santhosh began a fast-unto-death agitation demanding reopening of Nizam Sugars, but the cops foiled his stir.
According to sources, Mr Rao has plans to visit Bodhan soon. He may make a statement on the future of Nizam sugar factory, the sources said. Meanwhile, Ms Kavitha, Bodhan MLA Shakeel and agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy are pursuing the issue to keep it alive.
