A new sugar mill will be set up in East Champaran district. The district administration is considering the land belonging to Bettiah Raj land for the proposed project. The administration is considering locations in Kalyanpur or Chakia, beyond Motihari, reported Zee Bihar Jharkhand.
The district administration possesses 500 acres of land belonging to Bettiah Raj in Ramgarhwa, but the site presents practical challenges. Ramgarhwa is located just 15 kilometres from the existing Sugauli sugar mill. Setting up another mill there would place both units too close to each other, which could affect the smooth supply of sugarcane. It would also leave a large part of the district far from any sugar mill.
About 70 acres of Bettiah Raj land is available in Motihari, but officials said this would not be enough to establish a full-scale sugar mill.
The administration is in favour of setting up the new mill towards Muzaffarpur, beyond Motihari, said, East Champaran District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal.
The Sugauli sugar mill is already running profitably and has been beneficial for farmers in nearby areas such as Ramgarhwa, Chhapwa, Semra, Raghunathpur and Sariswa, he said.
He added that sugarcane from some of these areas is also supplied to the Majhaulia sugar mill.
According to the district magistrate, farmers in the Kalyanpur and Bara Chakia regions have a greater need for a nearby sugar mill, making those areas more suitable for the new project.
He also said it is not possible to restart the sugar mills that were shut down earlier in the district, as most of their machinery and equipment are no longer available. The closed mills were privately owned, and decisions regarding them do not fall under the district administration’s authority.
Jorwal said land for the new sugar mill would either need to be acquired or taken over by the government under land ceiling rules. He added that at least 100 acres of land are required to set up a sugar mill. If a single parcel of land of that size is not available, the administration may proceed with land acquisition.
He said the district administration wants a sugar mill to become operational in East Champaran and is actively working towards that goal. Once the site is finalised, a proposal will be sent to the state government, and work will begin after approval is granted.
