LAHORE: The Punjab government introduced in the Punjab Assembly the Sugar Factories (Control) (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021 to remove the anti-sugarcane grower provisions from the act passed on the subject by the house on May 4.

The bill sent to the relevant standing committee for a report on it within two months restores powers of the provincial government to fix a date for the start of sugarcane crushing season, binds payment to growers through formal banking channels, and authorises the cane commissioner to determine the liability of a miller for payment of cane price within a specified time and in case of failure recover the amount as land arrears.

It also makes the offenses under the Act cognizable and non-bailable.

Law Minister Raja Basharat sought suspension of the assembly’s rules of business to introduce the bill even before the Question Hour, which is the first item on the agenda of the proceedings each day except during the budget session.

The May 4 Act had not gone well with the farmers, who had threatened to protest against the legislation which was contrary to an ordinance promulgated last year to protest the rights of cane growers.

They had approached the prime minister, who directed the provincial government to make the new controversial law pro-farmers at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2021