KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) gave the Sindh chief secretary two days to convene a meeting of stakeholders to finalise sugar price for the 2014-15 season and forward the summary to the chief minister for approval.
A division bench – headed by Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar – passed the order after the sugarcane growers and mill owners failed to finalise the price during two days allowed by the court.
The bench is hearing a petition jointly filed by owners of various sugar mills against the executive powers to fix prices of sugarcane and sugar.
They challenged Section 16 of the Sugar Factories Control Act 1950 and the issuance of any official notification to set sugar prices by government departments under the law.
On the last date, the judges allowed a time of two days for growers and millers to resolve the controversy after the federal government expressed its inability to fix sugar price which has become a provincial subject after the 18th amendment.
On Friday, the millers’ lawyer, Abdul Sattar Pirzada, informed the court that the provincial deputy secretary of the Agriculture, Supply and Prices Department has addressed a letter to the chairman of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association’s provincial chapter, intimating about the upcoming meeting of the sugarcane growers, the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, the Sindh Abadgar Board and the millers to decide the price.
Thereafter, a summary would be sent to the chief secretary, who is the competent authority, to approve the proposed price. However, Pirzada requested the judges to allow further two days to decide the matter.
The bench, with consent of the parties, directed the provincial chief secretary to ensure proposed meeting is held on November 29 and its deliberations be continued till such time the decision is made and finalised by November 30.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2014.
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