Rice millers' strike enters 2nd day

Warangal: The relay-hunger strike launched by Warangal District Rice Millers Welfare Association (WDRMWA) has reached second day on Wednesday. The rice millers who had taken the path of agitation demanding the State Government to address their various problems have started the hunger strike at Telangana Martyrs Memorial in Hanamkonda on Tuesday and would continue till March 31. The millers association was seeking increase in milling charges and round the clock power supply to the rice mills by exempting them from power cuts. Huge numbers of rice millers across AP were facing financial difficulties in view of non-revision in the milling charges for more than 20 years. The association district president Devunuri Anjaiah, general secretary Uppula Venkateshwarlu, treasurer S Madhavashanker and others said to the media here on Wednesday that the milling charges being given to the millers by the Government for processing the rice were fixed 25 years ago. The costs of all the services have risen manifold during the past several years but the milling charges remained the same, they said. The electricity charges have risen by 200 percent and labour charges have risen by 300 percent in recent years, they lamented. The millers were not able to pay their bank loans, electricity bills and also the labour charges and were facing severe financial crisis. With an intention to put pressure on the government, the agitation was taken up, the leaders explained. The association president Anjaiah who expressed serious concern over bringing the rice mills under the purview of section 6 A of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 opposed booking of cases against the millers under the section. He appealed the State Government to lift the curbs imposed on stocking up fine quality rice at rice mills and warned that if the government failed to act, the agitation would be intensified, he added.