Founded by the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, this factory was the largest in Asia at the time it was set up. Pic/News18
When the 77-year-old Nizam Sugar Factory shut down, it left hundreds of employees without jobs and farmers’ futures in limbo. While governments have made promises, the locals have little faith in these politicians
As one builds up to the electoral battle of Telangana, in the district of Nizamabad, the bastion of the KCR family’s daughter, K Kavitha, there is the unfulfilled promise of opening the closed sugar mills in the region. One of the largest such mills in the state, the Nizam Sugar Factory, has now been shut for nearly a decade.
Founded by the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, this factory was the largest in Asia at the time it was set up. It is situated close to 25 km from the district headquarters in Nizamabad.
In 2015, this factory was shut down by the Telangana government, which owns 49% of the stake whereas 51% is privately owned.
While governments have made promises, the locals have little faith in these politicians.
A farmer from the region who is now forced to cultivate other crops because of the shut sugar factory tells News18, “We have no choice, but to grow paddy, etc, for which we do not get buyers and are exploited by the mill owners. If the factory is opened, at least there will be employment for people and we will begin to cultivate sugarcane again.”
Another local tells News18 that a lack of job opportunities in the region has led to many people seeking their fortunes elsewhere. “There are so many people who could not get any jobs here. So they were forced to migrate to other cities and even go out of the country.”
The locals also stressed that apart from providing direct employment, the opening of the factory will also generate a lot of indirect employment, including of hotels, public transportation, etc.
Whether it is the present MP or the ruling party in the state, the promises made to the people of the region are forgotten the moment elections are over, they say. “The MP made a promise to us that the factory will be opened but five years since he was elected last, there has been no fulfilment of the promise. The legislator told us that he would open the factory with his own money. We are still waiting. Even Revanth Reddy has been making promises but we are sure even he will not show up for the next five years,” a local says.
Recently, union home minister Amit Shah while speaking at a rally in support of BJP‘s candidate Arvind Dharmapuri assured that if the BJP is brought to power in Telangana, it is committed to opening all three sugar mills in the state. A similar promise was made in 2015 by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. However, that was to no avail. “KCR promised to us that he would start the factory within one month of coming into power. But he has forgotten that promise and has not shown any desire to complete that and fulfil the promise. It was mere lip service,” says another local.
When the 77-year-old Nizam Sugar Factory shut down, it left hundreds of employees without jobs and farmers’ futures in limbo. As the people of the state, including this region, gear up to vote on November 30, what remains in their minds is the “bitter taste of sugar” dished out to them.