Morena, Jan 21 (NationPress) Farmers in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh organized a tractor protest on Tuesday to oppose the auction of land that was previously leased to a sugar mill, which has been inactive since 2011.

Numerous farmers drove their tractors toward the sugar mill in Morena to challenge the auction proceedings taking place onsite.

The protest, dubbed 'Jail Bharo Aandolan', saw support from the Congress party, with tractors adorned with the party's flag parading down the roads of Morena.

To maintain public order, the Morena District Police erected barricades to prevent the demonstrators from accessing the mill’s vicinity, resulting in tense exchanges between the protesters and law enforcement, as reported.

Congress MLA from the Joura Assembly seat in Morena, Pankaj Upadhyay, informed the media that the auction process has been suspended due to the demonstration.

“The administration of Morena district has assured us that efforts will be made to revive and operationalize the sugar mill again. The auction will be conducted at a later date,” he stated.

The Morena sugar factory, also recognized as the Kailaras sugar mill, was founded in 1973 but ceased operations in 2010-2011 due to ongoing financial losses.

Reports indicate the factory's shutdown was attributed to a lack of sugarcane supply and inadequate working capital. Significantly, the state government has plans for the revival of the Kailaras Sugar Mill, which includes a proposal to sell approximately 27 hectares of land to settle debts owed to farmers and workers.

The Department of Industry has been tasked with initiating bids and managing the land sale.

Interestingly, the rising utilization of ethanol as an alternative to petroleum has rekindled optimism in the sugar sector.

Numerous sugar mills in states like Uttar Pradesh and throughout the nation that had been out of operation for years are now reopening, largely driven by the increasing demand for ethanol.