Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has turned back from his promise to revive Nizam Sugar Factory (NSF) and expressing his inability, he announced that the government would not revive the sugar factory as of now. He declared that “NSF is a closed chapter now. We will not take it over”.

Replying to a question raised by Congress MLA and Telangana Congress Committee President N Uttam Kumar Reddy in the Assembly in this regard, he deplored that the government made all efforts to revive the Nizam Sugar Factory but in vain as farmers were not showing interest for the same.

NSF was privatised in 2000 by the then Telugu Desam government and closed last year citing losses. Rao had earlier promised government to takeover of the factory, saying it was having a “historic significance” for the Telangana state. He had said that instead of its present status as a private partner in a joint venture, it should be made to run on its own for the benefit of sugarcane farmers.

He said that though the government had assured farmers of various help for the revival of the factory. Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas led a group of around 400 farmers to Maharashtra to study to working of sugar cooperative societies in that state.

The Chief Minister said that he had persuaded the farmers to run the NSF on the line of cooperative societies. But farmers did not show any interest. Moreover, Rao said that 95 per cent of farmers in the region were not taking up the sugarcane harvest, he added.

However, Leader of Opposition K. Jana Reddy said that farmers of the region were ready for the revival of the NSF. He demanded the government to consult the farmers of the region again in this regard.

To this, the Chief Minister said that he had no objection if the Congress leader Jana Reddy or Jeevan Reddy was ready to lead farmers in the revival of the NSF. He asked the peoples’ representatives from Nizamabad district to meet and persuade farmers with regard to revival of the sugar factory.