Govt resolves 12 year old pending issue, agrees to clear outstanding arrears of Rs.28 crore to Kovur sugar factory workers

TIRUPATI: Andhra Pradesh state government has ended a 12 year old imbroglio after CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu gave his nod to clear the outstanding arrears to the tune of Rs.28 crore, to be paid to the workers of the Kovur sugar factory in Nellore district.
Kovur legislator Vemireddy Prashanti Reddy drew the attention of the govt to the fact that the Kovur cooperative sugar factory limited established in 1979, had become defunct and was shut down in 2013. The sudden closure of the sugar factory cast a severe blow on the factory workers, whose emoluments and arrears remain unpaid.
“Through successive govts promised to clear off the arrears, the issue remained unsolved and scores of factory workers, who staged protests for more than a decade, lost their lives in the last 12 years of their prolonged struggle with hope not in sight. As the TDP led NDA alliance promised to the sugar factory workers of clearing their arrears once the alliance comes to power in the state, the ruling govt should initiate measures to clear off the arrears pending to be paid to the Kovur sugar factory workers”, Kovur MLA urged the government.
Responding to Vemireddy Prashanti Reddy’s plea, CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu, directed the officials to immediately initiate steps to clear off the entire arrears amounting to Rs.28 cr to the Kovur sugar factory workers and this decision of the state government will benefit about 466 sugar factory workers.
Meanwhile, CM also directed the officials to 124 acres of sugar factory land at Pothireddy Palem to the APIIC to be able to allocate the same land parcel to various industrial units in the future.