Administration to seal Phagwara sugar mill for non-payment of cane growers’ dues

Phagwara, September 29

Indefinite dharna by sugarcane growers under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), Doaba, entered the third day today even after assurance to farmers by Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian at a Mohali meeting on Thursday to resolve the issue of non-payment of arrears amounting to Rs 41.72 crore at the earliest.

Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner (DC) Karnail Singh today instructed Phagwara Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Amit Kumar Panchal to seal Golden Sandhar Sugar Mills with the help of the police with immediate effect till further orders. The DC also instructed the ADC to inform him immediately after sealing the mill.

After receiving instructions, the ADC asked Phagwara SDM Jai Inder Singh to ensure compliance of the DC’s orders.

BKU (Doaba) general secretary Satnam Singh Sahni said the indefinite dharna would continue till acceptance of their demands.

Punjab Sugarfed Chairman Navdeep Singh Jeeda, Director of Agriculture Jaswant Singh and the Kapurthala district authorities held a meeting with cane farmers led by BKU Union (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai at Kheti Bhawan in Mohali yesterday.

Responding to cane farmers concerns, the Agriculture Minister directed the Kapurthala DC to expedite the process of attaching properties of defaulter sugar mill owners. He also asked the Kapurthala district authorities to make sure that all pending dues of cane farmers were cleared in a time-bound manner.

Reiterating that farmers would not be allowed to suffer at the hands of defaulter mill owners, the Agriculture Minister said the state government stood firmly with them. He said strict action would be initiated against the defaulter mill owners, who were trying to shun their responsibility of paying Rs 41.72 crore to cane farmers.