DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Dec 2: The Chamber of Agriculture, Dera Ismail Khan, has urged the local administration to direct the management of Chashma sugar mills to start its crushing season.

The chamber, which met here the other day with president Masood Nasir in the chair, warned that if the crushing was not started within next two or three days, farmers would have no time to cultivate wheat for the next season.

The meeting also asked the district administration to initiate the construction of bypass road for which millions of rupees, collected from the sugarcane growers as sugar cess tax, were lying unutilized.

The chamber drew attention to loss of lives in traffic accidents every day, due to heavy traffic flow on the main circular and city roads.

The artificial shortage of fertilizers created by its dealers was also condemned.

Fertilizer manufacturers were asked to take notice of the shortage of NFC and DPA and mobilize their staff to check those dealers who were involved in black marketing.  

The meeting asked the local Irrigation Department to close Chashma Right Bank Canal during January for the annual silt clearance because late closure would affect the wheat and the rice crops adversely.