LAHORE: Defying Prime Minister Imran Khan for the third time in the last eight months and further delaying legislation on the “Sugar Factories (Control) (Amendment) Act,” the Punjab Assembly has referred the Act to the standing committee on food – a committee that does not exist – and asked it to report within 60 days.

Speaking to Dawn, Punjab Minister for Law and Cooperatives Raja Basharat did concede that the standing committee on food “does not exist. It went erroneously to the food committee and would be redirected to the special committee.”

Interestingly, the bill was referred to the special committee two months ago and it deliberated upon it and made its recommendations. The government, however, completely ignored its recommendations and pushed through the House a bill that was exactly opposite of what the committee had suggested. Why send the same bill to the same committee for second time in as many months?

“The entire process is aimed at defeating the bill which was designed to bring sugar factories under some sort of official monitoring mechanism and help farmers,” says an official of the Food Department – the proposer of the bill – who did not want to be named because of the political sensitivity of the matter.

The move is yet another defiance of the prime minister

The bill has assumed added significance in the last few months because Prime Minister Imran Khan has personally been following the process, urging the Punjab government to legislate it. But his own party government is avoiding it; first amending the bill exactly opposite to what he wanted and now referring the matter to a non-existent committee.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan has been following the matter since August last, but is unable to get it through the Punjab government,” says a provincial minister.

According to the context of the bill, when sugar crisis hit the country last year, the prime minister sought suggestions from the Punjab Food Department how to deal with the situation. Citing Sugar Factories Act 1950, the department maintained that it needed “legislative and administrative teeth to bring sugar factories under some discipline.” It listed those powers as ability to decide date of start of crushing season, a dispute resolution mechanism, making offences in the process cognisable and finally linking recovery of dues from the mills to their revenue.

The mills were also asked to pay farmers through bank accounts to document their business. These suggestions were sent both to the prime minister office and the Punjab government.

“The department was questioned and it had to justify each power it had sought. The PM agreed and the suggestions were sent to the Punjab government for legislation,” says an official involved in the process. However, the process got stuck somewhere in political and bureaucratic rigmarole. As the pressure from the PM office grew because it was following the development almost on a daily basis, the department suggested issuance of ordinances for immediate action. The prime minister ordered issuing of “ordinances to grant the required powers to the department.” Two ordinances were issued in September last year to serve the purpose.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government was told to prepare legislation on the same lines before the lapse of the ordinances. The Punjab allowed to lapse both ordinances till December but renewed them for three more months. As their second expiry neared, the Punjab Assembly moved and referred the bill to the Special Committee No 12. The committee finalised the amendments to the Sugar Factories Control Act 1950 in its meeting on March 29 and sent them to the House for final approval.

“However, the government sprang a surprise at this stage. Instead of accepting the amendments as recommended by the committee along the lines of ordinances, it did exactly the opposite,” says a member of the Opposition, who was keenly following the entire process. The bill it came up with withdrew all those powers – deciding date of crushing season and dispute resolution mechanism – from the department, rendered the complaints non-cognisable and made the clearance of payment to growers eight-month (up to June 30) in place of 15 days and not only defeated the spirit of the ordinances, but granted further leeway to the millers in clearing of dues. The millers are also allowed to make cash payments.

“It kicked a storm as farmers threatened protest, took the matter to the prime minister who again intervened to set things right. His intervention, however, has been neutralised yet again as the matter is referred to a non-existing committee and thus burying the matter for good,” he concludes.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2021