FAISALABAD, Nov 28: For the convenience of farmers in the transportation of their products, Rs1,100 million sugar cane cess fund will be spent through district governments for the construction of farm-to-market roads.

This was announced by Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool while speaking to participants at a local sugar mills in connection with the commencement of the crushing season of sugar cane here on Thursday.

He said all impediments and official hurdles in the way of using sugar cane cess fund would be eliminated and special attention would be paid for its judicious utilization.

The governor asked the agency concerned to evolve a detailed plan for the construction of roads under the sugar cess fund and to ensure that such collection should not be misused.

A comprehensive plan, he said, was being conceived to provide modern agricultural implements to farmers on nominal rent by setting up special shops and offices at village level.

Laboratories and cold storages for different crops would also be set up in villages under this plan so that the agrarian economy could be put on the path of progress, he said.

Governor Maqbool claimed that farmers in the province would be imparted latest training of agriculture and use of technology under a special programme. The project of setting up an agriculture college was also in the pipeline, he said.

Farmers, he said, were suffering financially due to unmatched climate, lack of resources and agriculture inputs, high prices of fertilizers, pesticides and variety of other reasons. In spite of all these factors, the provincial government during the last three years had tried its best for the promotion of agrarian economy and welfare of farmers, he said.

A number of incentives were provided for the first time to the farming community such as increase in support prices of wheat, rice and cotton, he claimed. The sugar cane was also being purchased from the growers at Rs40 per 40kg according to the demands of farmers. Similarly, he said payments to farmers by the sugar mill owners were also being made within a fortnight.

The governor assured the farmers that special measures would be adopted to check less weight at weighing scales and other wrong steps taken by unscrupulous elements. Farmers would get payments of their produce on time and action would be taken against commission agents if they tried to create any problem in this regard.

Work for strengthening the inner and outer embankments of four major canals in the Khanki Bairaj had already started and this project would be completed by spending billions of rupees for providing relief to the farming community.

On this occasion, scores of farmers complained the governor about the atrocities of the functionaries of union councils, tehsil and district governments and police for compelling them to pay nazranas during transportation of their produce. They also alleged that various government functionaries unlawfully forced them to pay heavy toll tax.

After listening to their complaints, the governor assured them that their grievances would be redressed and action would be taken against irresponsible officials as well as contractors.

Earlier talking to newsmen, the governor said the chief minister would formally be given all executive powers immediately after the oath of his office.

He claimed he believed in democratic norms and would not create any hurdle in the way of the chief minister in running the affairs of the province.

BAHAWALPUR: The promotion of the agriculture sector is the government’s top priority and all available resources will be utilized to look up this sector.

This was stated by Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool while speaking to a gathering of farmers and sugar cane growers at Ashraf Sugar Mills, about 25 kilometres from here.

The farming community complained the governor about the shortage of canal water, lack of roads in the sugar cess areas, rising prices of diesel, fertilizers and demanded subsidy for the installation of tubewells and reduction in the power tariff.

Describing their grievances as genuine, the governor said the government was striving hard to streamline the prices of cotton, wheat, sugar cane and rice. He said he was of the view that the prices of sugar cane should be fixed according to its quality.

The Punjab government, he said, had distributed Rs1 billion to all districts for the construction of roads in the sugar cane cess areas during the last one year.

It was the government’s desire to waive its control on the construction of roads in the sugar cane cess areas, he said and added that growers’ representatives along with the local administration should fix the priorities in this regard.

The governor said the supply of 3,000 cusecs of canal water sanctioned by the president during his April last visit to Bahawalpur would start during the next few months.

On governor’s query, Irrigation zone chief engineer Usman Akram said the Canal department had lodged with the police about 200 water theft cases from October 2002.

On the demand of growers, the governor directed the Wapda SE to give power connections for the tubewell in short duration. The SE informed the governor that about 100 such applications were pending with his office due to the shortage of electricity connection material.

Governor Maqbool also announced Rs15 million grant for the uplift of the Government Degree College for Women, Bahawalpur, and for setting up a degree women college at Ahmedpur East. He also announced the dualization of the Ahmedpur East Road. Later, the governor also visited the Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital.