By making the sugar scam report public, the Prime Minister has set a great precedent. After the report was released, the burden to take action shifted to the respective government authorities. However, so far we have seen no action nor any suggestions on improvement.
I believe that the sugar scam report has made it clear that certain sugar mills were under-reporting their profits and therefore were not in need of subsidies for exports. The first plan of action should thus be to recover all received government subsidies from these sugar mills dating back twenty years.
Secondly, the mills should be asked to pay all taxes on undeclared produce in one-year instalments, using profits from their other businesses. Thirdly, farmers who have still not been paid by these mills should be asked to register complaints with the cane commissioner. Most importantly, the government should ensure that sugar is sold at a government-set rate. Citizens who purchase at a higher rate should register an online complaint with a picture of the receipt. All those in breach should be heavily fined by the relevant authorities. To achieve this, the government may very well have to create new regulations.
SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER P. ENGR.
Peshawar.