LAHORE: The Punjab government on Friday initiated stern action against the sugar mills for committing violations of law and registered cases against the owners and management of three mills including Chinar Sugar Mills Faisalabad, Shakar Ganj Sugar Mills Jhang and Pasrur Sugar Mills Gujranwala.

Chinar Sugar Mills owner Javed Kayani, Shakar Ganj Sugar Mills owner Pervez Ahmed, General Manager (Cane) Manzoor Hussain Malik and General Manager (Admin Hussain Malik) have been arrested while police are conducting raids to nab the owners of Pasrur Sugar Mills.

According to handout issued on Friday, Chief Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal said that violators of the law would be dealt with iron hands. He said that strict action would be taken in case of sale of sugar at more than the fixed price and nobody would be allowed to sell the sweetener higher than the ex-mill rate of Rs 84.75 and retail price of Rs 89.75 per kilogram.

Largest penalty ever of Rs44bn imposed on sugar mills, PSMA

However, Cane Commissioner Punjab Muhammad Zaman Wattoo while talking to Business Recorder said that action has been taken against these mills on the charges of non-payment of dues to the growers within 15 days as per law.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) Central Chairman Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf and others during a press conference strongly condemned the government action against these mills. They said that millers had invested billions of rupees to set up these industries which are providing livelihood to thousands of people directly and indirectly.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021