The Punjab government has decided to get registered cases and also take stern action against the sugar mills defaulting payments to sugarcane growers and asked all commissioners, district co-ordination officers and regional police officers concerned to help provincial food department in recovery of defaulted amount.
Decision to this effect was taken in a meeting held here on Monday with the Chief Secretary Punjab Javed Mahmood in the chair. Among others, Secretary Food Muhammad Irfan Elahi, Secretary Industries Tahir Raza Naqvi, Cane Commissioner Shahid Hussein and other officers attended.
The meeting was informed that 18 sugar mills of Punjab owe over Rs 655 million to the sugarcane growers. The meeting decided to ensure recovery of this defaulted amount and also take actions against the defaulters without any discrimination through registration of cases and making arrests of defaulter.
The meeting was informed that out of these 18 defaulting sugarmills, six mills were not only defaulting payment of 2008-09 but also payments of 2007-08. These six sugarmills include Abdullah-1 (Okara) having outstanding amount of Rs 11805692, Abdullah-2 (Sargodha) Rs 34027101, Crescent Faisalabad Rs 5747831, Facto (Bhakkar) Rs 76872276, Haseeb Waqas (Nankana Sahib) Rs 25112122 and National (Sargodha) Rs 28753078.
While those who have outstanding amount of 2008-09 crop include Baba Farid (Okara) Rs 57380737, Chinar (Faisalabad) Rs 1121088, Chishtian (Sargodha) Rs 20265637, G Sammundri (Faisalabad) Rs 23472482, Hussain (Faisalabad) Rs 103338710, Koh-e-Noor (Khushab) Rs 15800000, Shakarganj-1 (Jhang) Rs 115534355, Shakarganj-Bhoon (Jhang) Rs 115028228, Shakarganj (Jhang) Rs 19275482, Tandlianwala (Faisalabad) Rs 715861 and Tandlianwala-II Rs 502036.
Sources in the Cane Commissioner's Office told Business Recorder that the department had already passed on the directives of registering cases against defaulting mills. There were two categories of defaulting mills, one those making slow payments and the other chronic defaulters. They said that those making payments slowly had been directed to clear their dues by June 30, otherwise DCOs concerned had been asked to register cases after two days of this deadline. 'While we are already taking up actions against the chronic defaulters.