Debt ridden farmer ends life over non-payment of sugarcane bill

Team Udayavani, Jun 9, 2018, 3:07 PM IST

Belagavi: Another sugarcane farmer committed suicide due to the non-payment of dues by sugarcane factories. Chinnappa Gangappa Amarapur (61) committed suicide by consuming poison, breathed his last at the Civil Hospital in Veerpankopp village of Belagavi taluk on June 8. 

As indicated by sources, the deceased farmer Chinnappa was under a heavy financial burden. Supposedly, he had taken a loan of Rs 8 Lakh from Hirebagewadi branch of Bank of India and a Rs 2 Lakh loan  from a cooperative society for farming and purchasing a tractor. 

It is said that Chinnappa had not gotten payment of Rs 1,30,000 from the Soubhagya Laxmi Sugar Factory in Hirenandi owned by Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi for the sugarcane sold for the current year. Likewise, Malaprabha Sugar Factory had not paid a bill of Rs 50,000 to him. It is additionally asserted that the factories  have not made his payment for as long as two years. 

The sources close to the family said that Chinnappa was depressed as he was not able repay the loan because of the long deferral in payments by the sugar factories. Unable to bear the pressure, he consumed pesticide on the morning of Thursday, June 7. Even though the family rushed him to the hospital, he couldn’t be saved. A case has been enrolled at Hirebagewadi Police Station with respect to the episode.