TOBA TEK SINGH/OKARA - District Council (DC) members have expressed grave concerns over exploitation of the sugarcane growers by the sugar mills owners.
The meeting was presided over by DC Vice Chairman Irfan Azam Sipra and participated by DC Chairperson Fauzia Khalid.
The house passed a resolution moved by DC member Nargis Suhail Ghani.
It was regretted that although government had fixed Rs180 per 40 kilogramme purchase price of the sugarcane but the mills owners were purchasing it at Rs110 per 40 kilogramme in violation of government's notification.
The resolution added that at the purchase centres, sugarcane was being openly procured at Rs100 per 40 kg and undue deduction was being done with the so-called excuse of less juice and low quality.
The house demanded the deputy commissioner immediately take action against the millers to save the farmers from exploitation.
In another resolution presented by Waqarul Haq, the house urged the education department to upgrade the Government Boy's Primary School of Chak 520 GB to the middle level so that the hundreds of students could get middle class education in the same school.
In Okara, two sugarcane suppliers of Baba Farid Sugar Mills (BFSM) were booked for purchasing sugarcane at 130-140 per 40 kg with the intimacy of its administration.
Assistant Commissioner Maham Asif arrived BFSM to check the illegal sugarcane purchase and other complaints and found Israr Ahmad and Zaheer Hussain Raja involved in irregularities. They, with the consultation of circle officer of BFSM, used to purchase sugarcane at Rs130-140 per 40kg instead of the government rate of Rs180 per 40 kilogramme.
The assistant sugarcane commissioner team's member Naib Tehsildar Shabbir Ahmad had got registered separate cases against both the contractors u/s 17/21 of the Sugarcane Factories Control Act 1950.