IEP Chandigarh, August 23
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Wednesday issued directions to the Deputy Commissioners of Sangrur and Kapurthala districts to take an immediate action to ensure that the private sugar mills falling in their districts make payment of all the pending dues to the cane farmers at the earliest.
Mr Gurmeet Singh Khudian along with Special Chief Secretary Agriculture Mr. KAP Sinha lent a sympathetic ear to the grievances of cane farmers from Malwa and Doaba regions during the marathon meetings here at his office.
Responding to the concerns raised by the cane farmers from Doaba region, Mr. Khudian directed the Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala Captain Karnail Singh to identify all the properties related to the defaulter owner of Golden Sandhar Mills Ltd, Phagwara so that the same could be attached and if default continues, to be sold to make payments of pending dues to the cane farmers.
Earlier, during a meeting with cane farmers from Malwa region, the Agriculture Minister directed the Deputy Commissioner Sangrur Mr. Jitender Jorwal to take all possible steps to ensure that Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill Ltd., Dhuri makes payment to the tune of at least Rs 1 crore out of total pending dues to the farmers immediately. He also asked the Deputy Commissioner to make it sure that all the pending dues of these farmers should also be cleared in a time bound manner.
Reiterating that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government would not let the farmers of the state to be exploited by anyone, Mr Khudian asked the Deputy Commissioners of both districts to set an example for others by taking stringent actions in both these cases.
