PUNE: The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), led by former MP Raju Shetti, has called a bandh in Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli districts on Friday, demanding an initial sugarcane payment of ₹4,200 per tonne from mills.
In a post on X, Shetti appealed to residents to support the bandh in solidarity with the ongoing farmers’ agitation.
Hundreds of farmers led by Shetti have been staging an indefinite protest on the Pune-Bengaluru highway since November 3, disrupting traffic. Shetti has said the blockade will continue until the government accepts their demand.
He also threatened to stop milk and vegetable supplies to Mumbai and Pune if the deadlock persists.
The farmers’ organisation is seeking an initial payment of ₹4,200 per tonne. Shetti said NCP cabinet minister Hasan Mushrif, who is involved in negotiations, had proposed ₹3,850 per tonne.
“We have rejected the proposal,” Shetti said.