Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Colonel Hashim Dogar (retd) has asked the sugar mills owners to ensure payment of pending amount to the sugarcane growers till next week. He also asked the mills owners to settle down their matters with banks so that the cane growers could get their rights.
The minister was chairing a meeting held in connection with the payment of arrears of worth 880 million rupees to the sugarcane cultivators here on Friday.
Cane Commissioner Punjab Wajid Ali Shah, Deputy Commissioner Kasur Sarwat Saeed and the representatives of Pattoke Sugar Mill and Brothers Sugar Mill attended the meeting.
While speaking on this occasion, the minister said that the matter regarding payment to growers has taken much time, now it should be resolved on immediate basis.
He said that Punjab government is strictly monitoring the crushing season and CM Punjab Usman Buzdar is himself looking into the matter. CM Punjab has assigned the task to all senior officers including Cabinet Members of protecting the rights of cultivators.
The minister said that a crackdown is being conducted against the middlemen across the province and cases are being registered against the exploiters of the cane growers. Measures and scales are being strictly monitored and no one would be allowed to violate the rules, he added.