Payments to farmers by sugar mills: Punjab PA adopts unanimous resolution

The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution that the government should ensure payments to farmers by sugar mills. The resolution presented by PML-N Muhammad Safdar Shakir was first opposed by Minister Food Sami Ullah Chaudhry but PTI MPA Ch Akhter Ali said that the government should support this resolution as farmers are facing problems due to non-payment by millers.

Food Minister Sami Chaudhry said that almost 99% amount was paid by sugar mills to the farmers.

He also said that the government had served notices on the mills which had not paid the price of sugarcane to farmers. He assured the House that the government will ensure that sugar mills clear outstanding amount to farmers.

PTI MPA Sadia Sohail Rana introduced Punjab Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2019. The Bill was referred to the standing committee to report in two months.

PML-N MPA Khalil Tahir Sindhu presented a resolution in the House against taking over of Edward College Peshawar by Khyber PakhtunKhwa government.

He said that churches property cannot be taken by government or individual.

Law Minister Raja Basharat said that it looks not ethical that Assembly of one province passed a resolution against the decision taken by another government.

He said KP Information Minister Shokat Yousaf Zai had denied that KP government had taken control of the Edward College Peshawar. However, he asked Sindhu that he is ready to cooperate with him regarding solution of the problem and he is ready to talk to the KP government on the issue.

He requested the chair to keep the resolution pending.

The resolution that senior citizens of 65 years and more should be exempted from paying fare of public transport was taken back by PTI MPA Shahida Ahmed after Minister Transport Jahanzeb Khicchi opposed the resolution saying that senior citizens are already exempted from paying the fare by Lahore Transport Company. The government is not in a position to exempt senior citizens from not paying fares in metro buses and connecting buses because the government is already paying huge amount on subsidy.

The House rejected two resolutions of PML-N MPA Hina Pervez Butt - one that public and private hospitals should be directed not to take the dues from relatives of patients who have passed away and that hospitals should provide ambulance free of cost for shifting the dead bodies.

The other petition regarding increasing the number of slaughter houses and taking strict action against sale of unhygienic meat was also rejected. The answers of the question on local government and community were given by Parliamentary Secretary Ahmed Khan Bachhar.