NAWABSHAH, Sept 26: The sugar mills of Nawabshah district have refused to start crushing of sugarcane from October 1 as required by a Sindh government notification. The mills that rejected the orders were Habib Sugar Mills, Sakrand Sugar Mills and Shahpur Jehanian Al-Noor Sugar Mills.

The resident director of Habib Mills, Mohammad Yousuf, said that it had been decided in the meeting of sugar mill owners and farmers that crushing will be started from November 20. He said it was impossible to crush in October as the crop was not ready and there was shortage of transport and labour.

The operator of Sakrand Sugar Mills, Khalil Ahmed, said that boilers were yet not lighted at the mill for crushing.

MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio blamed the government for failing to implement crushing on time. He remembered that none of the mills started crushing on time last year despite clear orders by the government.

Timely crushing of cane would encourage growers to sow wheat at the right moment, he said.

The general secretary of the Sindh Abadgar Welfare Association, Ali Mohammad Lakyari, said that the sugar cane crop of two billion kilograms was ready to harvest and if mills do not start crushing from October 1, the farmers would suffer a huge loss.

ACCIDENT: Azizullah Chandio, 40, died on Sunday when a motorcycle hit him near the Gajra Wah Bridge. The motorcyclist escaped from the scene.