KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday expressed concern over delay in settling the outstanding dues of sugar cane growers and directed the provincial secretary of agriculture to appear in person on Nov 17 to explain exigencies of frequent transfers of the cane commissioner.

Hearing a set of petitions, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar observed that despite specific directions to one of the members of a seven-member committee constituted by the court to settle the outstanding dues of growers, he (the secretary) could not bring the list of growers who had not been paid their dues yet, and requested for more time.

The bench observed that once the member filed the list, the court would ask the representatives of sugar mills to answers whether dues had been paid to them or not.

“We have noted that at least four or five cane commissioners have been changed during the interregnum and there is justification as to why these transfers are being made and still new cane commissioner has not taken over the charge. These abrupt transfers have frustrated the payments of the growers without any lawful justification,” the bench in its order said.

The bench directed agriculture secretary Agha Zaheeruddin to appear in person on the next hearing and explain the exigencies for frequent transfer of the cane commissioner.

The court also issued directive for the chief and agriculture secretaries to immediately assign the job of cane commissioner to someone.

In the last hearing, the then cane commissioner in the report said that 1,119 applicants/claims were filed by the growers against the sugar mills over non-payment of dues and added that the committee had reconciled outstanding dues of 11 sugar mills.

However, the report stated that eight sugar mills said that since their bank accounts had been frozen on the directives of the Supreme Court, they were unable to make payments, adding that 588 claims of over Rs580 million were pending against those sugar mills.

The Sindh Growers’ Alliance and others had moved the court and submitted that hundreds of applications, filed by growers to the cane commissioner complaining of non-payment of their lawful dues by the sugar mills, were still pending.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2019