MySugar lease will be finalised after talks: Nirani

Following a heated debate in the Legislative Council against privatisation of the MySugar factory in Mandya, Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani said on Monday that a meeting of all the stakeholders with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will be held before a decision is made.

Cutting across party lines, MLCs opposed the government's move to lease out the ailing sugar factory to private companies.

JD(S) MLC Srikante Gowda argued that the factory was a heritage initiative started in the 1930s that provided crores of rupees as income to the state government over the decades. "It has assets spreading over 250 acres and worth about Rs 2,000 crore. There is no basis for the government to lease it out," he contested.

The demand saw support from across party lines with BJP MLC Tejaswini Gowda, too, urging the government not to lease it to a private company.

However, asserting the government's move, Nirani said it would be a challenge to sustain the factory without leasing it out to companies. "Ultimately, farmers have to benefit. By leasing it out, farmers will be assured of adequate compensation to their produce," he said.

The MLCs then demanded that Nirani himself should take over as the chairperson of the factory and run it for at least a year. The government should also consider appointing a retired IAS officer to monitor the factory, Gowda demanded.

Responding to the legislators' demands, the minister said he would host a meeting between the chief minister and all the stakeholders after the Legislature session.

He also specified that the MRN Group, which he founded, will not be a bidder to run MySugar.