November 04, 2007	Sunday	Shawwal 22, 1428

MIRPURKHAS, Nov 3: The cane inspectors had lodged cases against nine of 28 sugar mills of the province for their failure to start crushing on Nov 1, said Sindh Cane Commissioner Ghulam Akbar Leghari on Saturday.

He said the cases had been registered against Mirpurkhas, Ranipur, Abadgar, Ansari, Faran, Tando Mohammad Khan, Mirza, Bhawani and Khairpur sugar mills under the Sugar Factories Control Act 1950 after expiry of Nov 1 deadline, was in process to file cases against the rest of 19 sugar mills.

The Sindh government had issued notices to all the sugar mills directing them to start crushing from Nov 1 and the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) had asked for a month more, he said, adding that despite many notices the mill owners did not give any reply.

Twenty sugar mills would face cases for failure to start crushing on time and the rest for failing to pay dues to growers, he added.

The general manager of Al-Abbas Sugar Mills, Ghulam Mohammad Soomro, said that the mills was unable to start crushing season because of acute shortage of labourers, which were to come from Swat. The mills would start crushing if the growers provided them labourers, he said.

He said that he had written to the Sindh Cane Commissioner apprising him of impediments to the start of crushing season on time. Al-Abbas sugar mill would issue indents to growers by Nov 10, he said.

The chairman of Farmers Organisation Council Javed Junejo demanded action against sugar mills and accused the PSMA of deliberately delaying crushing to do financial harm to the growers.

The more they pushed back the crushing date the more weight the cane would lose over time, hence windfall profits for the millers, he said.

INJURED: At least 15 passengers including women and children were injured when a bus overturned after its tie-rod broke near LBOD drain on Tando Adam Mirpurkhas road on Saturday.