LAHORE, May 20: Lahore High Court Judge Justice Syed Asghar Haider on Tuesday directed the Food Department not to take any coercive measure against the seed corporations, complaining against what they called unjustified, unlawful and damaging raids at their stores.

The judge also directed the department secretary to hear and decide their grievances within three days and give cogent reasons in his decision. The judge issued these directions while deciding several petitions by seed corporations against the department’s intervention.

The petitioners, Shahjer Saeed Corporations and others, through their counsel, Azam Nazir Tarar, said they conducted the lawful business of procurement, refinement and supply of seed of different crops. The petitioners secured best-quality certified seed from farmers and after its treatment -- refinement and preservation -- supplied it to the farmers for its necessary utilisation, the counsel added.

Instead of checking the hoarders, the department had started harassing the seed corporations by raiding their stores and consequently bringing their business to a standstill, said the counsel. Prior to its procurement from the growers, it was a must to get the wheat crop examined by a deputy director of seed certification and registration wing of the department and only after its acceptance and certification the seed could be subjected to further processing and treatment, he said.

The petitioners duly received such acceptance and certification from the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal), he said. Minfal, through a letter written on May 12, 2008, named some 20 seed companies, having the largest business in Punjab, and identified them as the top companies without disclosing any criteria.

On the bases of the letter, the Punjab Food Department, excluding the big 20 companies, had placed under sanction the remaining seed firms operating in Punjab, he said. “This presents a mutilated picture of exercise of administrative powers by the Food Department and abuse of lawful authority,” the counsel said.