LAHORE: The Punjab government has banned sale or transfer of sugar mills in the province without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the office of the provincial cane commissioner in order to save the dues of the growers outstanding against any mill.
An order issued by the Cane Commissioner Punjab on Thursday states that it has been observed in certain cases that occupier/owners of sugar mills incur huge liabilities on account of cane growers’ dues and thereafter sell their mills without clearing these liabilities.
“The sellers do not provide details of growers’ liabilities to Cane Commissioner’s office either. This results in non-payment of the growers’ dues for years. In case the mill is further sold, the chances of payment of growers’ dues are further dimmed,” said the order issued by Cane Commissioner Punjab Muhammad Zaman Wattoo.
“In order to safeguard the interests of the growers, it is directed that no sale deed for sale of any sugar mill be registered by the sub-registrars or mutated in revenue record by the revenue officers without an NOC (No Objection Certificate) of this office,” the order added.
While talking to Business Recorder, the Cane Commissioner Punjab said that change of hands at certain sugar mills without any intimation to his office was creating multiple issues for the growers including that new occupier simply refuse to pay any dues saying that they do not have any record of it. He said they are in knowledge that some mills are in the process of change of administration, so he issued these directives for saving the cane growers.
Regarding financial liabilities against sugar mills from the recently concluded crushing season, the cane commissioner said that 99.4 per cent payments of the growers had been cleared this season. However, there were some Rs 600-6200 million outstanding against certain mills but cases are pending in courts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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