Sugarcane farmers continued their agitation in Karnataka’s Belagavi district on Wednesday, blocking the Bengaluru-Pune National Highway at multiple locations before beginning a march towards the residence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in Hubballi. The protests disrupted traffic at toll plazas in Belagavi and Haveri districts as farmers pressed for higher payments and related sugar-sector demands.
Hundreds of farmers spent Tuesday night at the Hirebagewadi toll plaza on the National Highway, where they slept on the road and prepared meals during the protest, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle. The blockade resumed on Wednesday morning, with farmers raising slogans against the state and Central governments and bringing traffic to a standstill.
Dharna continued at the Koganolli toll plaza in Nippani taluk and the Hattargi toll plaza in Hukkeri taluk. The locations are part of important road links in northern Karnataka, making the agitation a direct disruption to freight and passenger movement across the region.
The farmers are demanding Rs 5,500 per tonne for sugarcane. They have also sought a minimum support price of Rs 60 for sugar and the purchase of ethanol. The protest is being led by Chunappa Pujeri, president of the State Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene.
Pujeri said the farmers had decided to move towards Joshi’s residence rather than continue blocking highways and inconvenience the public. “Our demands have not yet been met. Our demands, including Rs 60 MSP for sugar and the purchase of ethanol, must be fulfilled. We do not want to trouble the people. So we have decided to go to Minister Joshi’s house,” he told reporters.
The decision shifts the protest from highway blockades to a direct demonstration near the Union minister’s residence. Pujeri warned that 50 lakh farmers would march to Joshi’s house if the demands were not met before the protesters reached Hubballi. He also appealed to farmers in other districts who are protesting over the issue to join the march.
The disruption extended beyond Belagavi. The sugarcane farmers’ protest brought traffic on the Bengaluru-Pune National Highway to a standstill in Haveri district on Wednesday. Kilometre-long queues of vehicles formed near the Bankapur toll plaza, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
The blockades have affected a major inter-city road corridor connecting Karnataka with Maharashtra and serving movement between cities and districts in northern Karnataka. The immediate impact has been felt by commuters and road users at the affected toll plazas, while the planned march introduces a further law-and-order and traffic-management challenge for authorities in Hubballi.
The protest will now move towards Hubballi, where farmers intend to take their demands to Joshi’s residence. The farmers’ next stated step is to continue the march and seek action on the sugarcane payment, sugar support-price and ethanol-purchase demands.
