Law minister says 142 FIRs registered against owners and GMs of defaulting mills
LAHORE
Punjab government has decided to seize the stock of sugar mills for defaulting on the payments to sugarcane growers.
Punjab government has decided to attach the defaulting sugar mills stock with the payments to sugarcane growers as guarantee.
On Friday, Sana told the Punjab Assembly that sugar mills have paid around 97 per cent of total outstanding amount to the growers. “Out of Rs 780 million pending by the sugar millers, 24 sugar mills have paid around Rs 770 to the growers”, he said and expressed hope that the remaining amount would be paid before the start of next crushing season.
As per the details, Sana provided to the house, 13 sugar mills made over 95 per cent payments, while, 7 paid over 90 percent, one cleared off more than 80 per cent outstanding payments and only 3 sugar mills paid less than 80 per cent to the growers.
Regarding the sugar mills that defaulted on the payment to the growers Rana said, “After issuing them a notice, government would confiscate their stocks as guarantee. He said Brothers Sugar Mills, Ramzan Sugar Mills and Chaudhry Brothers Sugar Mills had made 100 payments to the growers.
Rana Sanaullah said that government was very concerned about the outstanding payments of growers. The law minister expressed the hope that the steps initiated by the government would settle the issue of payments to sugarcane growers permanently and in future growers’ payment affairs would be streamlined.
He also informed the house that as many as 142 FIRs had been registered against owners and general managers of defaulting mills.
He told the house that the issue of payments to sugarcane growers was raised, just a day ago, during assembly proceedings by a lawmaker. He said he called the Secretary Food and Sugracane commissioner to the assembly Thursday at a meeting in the Speaker’s Chamber.
After the adjournment of Friday’s session, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah while talking to the media persons outside assembly building said that Punjab government was preparing a comprehensive security plan for the shrines in province by taking into the confidence the caretakers (Matvallis) of these shrines after the Karachi incident. Law Minister expressed solidarity with Sindh Government over Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine blasts and said that Punjab Government was sad over the incident.
Rana Sanaullah criticised Federal law Minister Babar Awan alleging that he (Babar) had no affiliations with PPP, instead he was working on the agenda of ‘others’. Regarding two years extension in service of a NAB judge by federal Law Minister, he said it reflected his incompetence.
