HYDERABAD: SNP to observe Eid as ‘black day’: Cut in sugarcane prices
Bureau Report
HYDERABAD, Nov 24: The Sindh National Party at a meeting on Sunday decided to observe Eid day as a black day in protest against the reduction of Rs2 per 40 kg in the rate of sugar cane, non-payment of outstanding dues to growers and delay in the start of crushing season.
The SNP chairman, Amir Bhambhro, presided over the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bhambaro said the Sindh government had fixed minimum price of sugar cane at Rs43 per 40 kgs and decided that the outstanding dues of growers, including premium, would be paid and mills be started on time.
He said the government at a later stage issued a fresh notification on Nov 4, reducing the price of sugar cane by Rs2 per 40 kg. The notification directed the sugar mills to start the crushing season on Nov 15.
He said the government had also made it clear that action would be taken against those mills which failed to implement the notification.
He said sugar mills had not yet started the crushing season and added merely igniting of boilers to warm them up could not be termed as the start of crushing season.
Mr Bhambhro said even indents had not been issued to the sugar cane growers and the government was witnessing the defiance of its orders as a silent spectator.
He said the second phase of “save sugar cane movement” would be announced after Eid. He said growers were made to suffer huge losses with the connivance of the government.
The SNP chief said Sindh would face a shortage of wheat due to the delay in the start of crushing season.
He demanded that some 426 retrenched workers of the Faran Sugar Mills, 150 of the Khoski Sugar Mills and 221 of the Talhar Sugar Mills should be reinstated in service and the contract system in the sugar mills should be abolished.
DEBATE: The eighth All Pakistan Inter-University debating contest for the award of Allama Iqbal Shield was held at the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, on Monday.
The topic of the debate was “Geographical Boundaries are more Important than Historical Boundaries”.
The contest was held in English and Urdu languages.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Qadeer Khan Rajput awarded cash prizes of Rs1,500, Rs1,000 and Rs500 to first, second and third position holders.
