HYDERABAD, Nov 11: The District Council in a session on Monday expressed grave concern over the delay being caused in the crushing season of sugarcane by sugar mills in the Sindh province.

The session, expected to continue for 10 days, was presided over by Convener Nawab Rashid Ali Khan.

The members observed that if the season was not started by Nov 15, as had been notified by the Governor of Sindh, it would not only cause huge monetary losses to growers but affect the sowing of wheat which was due in November.

The members strongly recommended to the Sindh government to ensure that its notification about the beginning of the crushing season was implemented.

Drawing the attention of the session towards this important issue, concerning the growers community, Mir Aslam Talpur, a Nazim from Tando Allahyar Taluka, in his resolution said that the crushing season always started by Oct 15 but to date it has not kicked-off, causing losses in millions of rupees to growers.

He said that it would also affect the business of wheat.

He called upon the government to fix the rate of sugarcane at Rs62 instead of Rs41 to save growers from being blackmailed by the management of sugar mills and sugarcane traders.

Supporting the resolution, Qazi Qadeer said that if the crushing did not begin by Nov 15 then the sowing of wheat would be delayed and “we would be compelled to import wheat”.

He severely criticized sugar mill owners for not paying premium to growers.

He said that normally this payment was pocketed by the middlemen as an individual grower did not know about it, and added that last year the sugarcane was purchased at Rs36 per maund.

He pointed out that despite the directives of the cane commissioner, the amount specified was not deposited in the government treasury.

He called upon the cane commissioner to ensure the implementation of all relevant rules by the sugar mill owners.

Another Nazim of Tando Allahyar Taluka, Azizullah Memon, said that the growers did not get last year’s payment from the mill owners, and added that the price of sugarcane should be fixed at Rs62 and the mills should have started the crushing season on schedule.

He said that the management of the mills were levying surcharge on the growers illegally.

He maintained that the late start of the crushing season would financially affect the families, indirectly associated with the growers.

The district council condemned the registration of a case under six different sections of the PPC against one of its members, Syed Ghulam , and his family members.

The members demanded withdrawal of the case, an inquiry into the matter by a high court judge, and registration of a case against those who were instrumental in getting the FIR lodged against Syed Ghulam Raza Shah Latifi.

Syed Ghulam Raza Shah Latifi, who is on pre-arrest bail in a power theft and illegal detention case, lodged by the SDO, Bhitshah, Qayyum Bhurgari, rose on a point of order and narrated the whole episode.