Growers protest closure of sugar mills

Sugarcane trolleys line up as three mills closed

RAHIMYAR KHAN: Hundreds of tractor-trolleys laden with sugarcane were stuck outside the three sugar mills, after they were shut down on the orders of the Supreme Court. 

Sugarcane growers staged demonstration and blocked roads for six hours. They demanded that the mills be allowed to operate in the current crushing season, as it was a matter of earning of hundreds of growers. They complained that the closures has rendered sugarcane surplus and undue deductions in the crop yield have been started. They said sugarcane worth billions of rupees would go waste if crushing was halted. Further, the payment of their arrears will also be stopped, rendering them from hand to mouth, they said. 

The Supreme Court Thursday ordered halting operations of Ittefaq, Haseeb Waqas and Chaudhry sugar mills till final adjudication of the matter by the Lahore High Court. After Chaudhry sugar mills in Kot Samaba halted sugarcane crushing, about 700 trolleys parked in queue outside the mills. Growers staged protest and burnt tires. Resultantly, Khanpur-Rahmiyar Khan road was blocked. The road could be cleared after five hours when talks succeeded. 

Outside the Ittefaq sugar mills in Channi Goth, some 150 trolleys were lined up, causing road blockage on National Highway. Channi Goth UC Chairman Mehr Sadiq and police intervened to pacify growers and roads were cleared after five hours blockage. 

Dozens of growers protested against closure of Haseeb Waqas sugar mills on Alipur Jatoi road. They staged sit-in and blocked road. SHO Sadar Imtiaz Khaitran talked to mills manager and assured the growers of payment of their arrears.