Deadline lapsed: Court asks reason for sugar crushing delay
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought comments from top government officials in response to a petition filed against the delay in the sugar crushing season.
IHC’s Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan issued notices to the secretary of the ministry of national food and security, secretary of the ministry of industries, chairman of the All Pakistan Sugar Mills Association and All Sugar Mills in Pakistan, and the chief secretaries of all provinces seeking their comments regarding the anomaly within two weeks.
Petitioner Advocate Shafqat Abbas filed a petition arguing that although the dates have passed, sugar crushing has still not started. He maintained that farmers from across the country were facing problems with sugar mills and the government for delaying the sugar crushing season. The season, he pointed out, is slated to start from the first week of October.
Abbas argued that according to the Sugar Cane Act 1934, crushing season starts on October 15, and according to the West Pakistan Sugar Factories Control Act, 1950 the crushing starts on the first day of October in any year and ends on June 30.
The petitioner informed the court that the sugar industry was the second biggest in the country which generated a huge source of revenue every year. He argued its delay had not only affected the country but also poor farmers who have to cultivate new crops of wheat and other items after its crushing.
He appealed to the court to direct respondents to start sugar crushing for the year 2012-2013 immediately throughout Pakistan as they are duty-bound under the Sugar Cane Act, 1934 and the West Pakistan Sugar Factories Control Act, 1950.
After the preliminary hearing, the high court sought comments from respondents.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2012.
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