SHC forms committee to settle issue of non-payment

The committee must review each of the 1,000 complaints, remarks Justice Mazhar

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday formed a committee to settle the issue of non-payment of dues to sugarcane farmers and ordered the agriculture secretary to release the notification in this regard within three days. A two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the petition.  The agriculture secretary and others were present at the hearing.

A representative of Cane Commissioner informed the court that according to the notification, the price of sugarcane, per 40 kilogrammes, was Rs172 in 2016 and 2017. Justice Mazhar remarked that the commissioner had continuously been misleading the court and asked him to give an example of a single person whose payment had been made satisfactorily.



The court remarked that the authorities were working on paper and that the cane commissioner was clueless as to what to do. Justice Mazhar, inquiring what the authorities were doing to address the issue, said that 250 victims had approached the court so far.

The representative for Cane Commissioner admitted that 1,012 complaints of farmers had been received.

Justice Mazhar asked who was responsible for the problem and remarked that FIRs should be registered against them. The court admonished the farmers and lawyers who were shouting slogans in the court and asked them that decorum should be maintained.

The court formed a high-level committee for settlement of payment to sugarcane growers. The committee will include representatives from farmers, sugar mill association, Cane Commissioner and the agriculture department.



Justice Mazhar in his remarks said that the committee should carry out an extensive review of each complaint.

The court ordered that names and responsibility of those who have not made the payments should be identified. The court deferred the contempt of court proceeding against sugar mill owners until the committee submits its report and adjourning the hearing till December 15. It ordered the committee to carry out full investigation into the non-payment of dues to 1,300 farmers in 45 days.

The court also ordered the agriculture secretary to release the notification within three days. In their petition, the farmers had stated that their sugarcane was bought at low prices and even these payments were not made. A total of 1,000 complaints claiming the payment had not been settled for over a year. The petition reads that despite the court orders, sugarcane mill owners are not paying the dues.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2018.