LAHORE: The Punjab cane commissioner has directed deputy commissioners of the districts where sugar mills are located not to allow sale or mutation of any factory without first bringing the fact into the knowledge of his office.

In a communiqué to DCs of 20 districts on Thursday, Muhammad Zaman Wattoo said the owners/occupiers of sugar mills incur huge liabilities on account of cane growers’ dues and thereafter sell their units without clearing the same.

He said the sellers do not provide details of growers’ liabilities to the cane commissioner office leading to nonpayment of the dues for years. In case the mills are further sold the chances of payment of the dues get dimmer.

“In order to safeguard interests of the growers, it is directed that no sale deed of any sugar mills be registered by the sub-registrar or mutated in the revenue record by the revenue officers without the no-objection certificate of this office,” says the letter written to DCs of Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Layyah, Sargodha, Khanewal, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Khushab, Okara, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Jhang and Tobe Tek Singh.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2021