Chandigarh: Punjab’s Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, instructed the Deputy Commissioners of Sangrur and Kapurthala districts on Wednesday to take prompt action to ensure that the private sugar mills in their areas pay the pending cane dues to the farmers as soon as possible, according to dailypioneer.
Accompanied by Special Chief Secretary Agriculture KAP Sinha, Khudian held lengthy meetings with cane farmers from the Malwa and Doaba regions at his office, where he attentively listened to their concerns.
In response to the issues raised by cane farmers from the Doaba region, Khudian directed Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala, Captain Karnail Singh, to identify all properties associated with the owner of the defaulting Golden Sandhar Mills Ltd. in Phagwara. These properties could be seized and sold if the owner continues to default, with the proceeds being used to pay the pending dues to the cane farmers.
In an earlier meeting with cane farmers from the Malwa region, the Agriculture Minister instructed Deputy Commissioner Sangrur, Jitender Jorwal, to take all necessary measures to ensure that Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill Limited in Dhuri immediately pays around Rs one crore from the total overdue amount to the farmers. He also urged the Deputy Commissioner to ensure that all the remaining dues of these farmers are cleared within a specific timeframe.
Emphasizing the Punjab Government’s commitment to preventing the exploitation of the state’s farmers, Khudian urged the Deputy Commissioners of both districts to set a strong example by taking stringent actions in these cases.
