Body to review construction, shifting of two sugar mills

LAHORE: The Punjab government has constituted an eight-member inquiry committee to review the issue of construction and shifting of two sugar mills of an important figure of the province.
The committee comprises four provincial ministers and four administrative secretaries. It has been constituted with the approval of the Punjab chief minister. In this regard a meeting was held which was chaired by Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal. After the meeting Secretary Industries, Commerce & Investment issued a notification of the committee.
The committee has been constituted on the objection of some other sugar mills that two sugar mills are being constructed illegally. They pointed out that Haseeb Waqas Group is constructing a sugar mills at Basti Jehanpur, Jatoi tehsil, Rajanpur district, while Ittefaq Group is constructing a sugar mills at Chani Goth, Bahawalpur district, without taking approval from the government.
Taking notice of the sugar mills’ complaint, Director General Industries, Prices, Weight & Measures had issued show-cause notices to the sugar mills directing them to stop the construction work immediately. In the notices it was stated that construction of sugar mills without approval of competent authority was violation of Clause 3 and 6 of Construction of Sugar Mills and Shifting Control on Establishment and Enlargement Ordinance 1963, according to which a notification was issued in December 2006 regarding ban on construction of new sugar mills in the province. They have been directed to submit their reply within 10 days to the competent authority. Moreover, MEPCO has disconnected the 480 KV electricity connection of Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills after Industries Department wrote a letter to the MEPCO.
Provincial Minister Industries, Commerce & Investment Ch. Mohammed Shafiq has been nominated as Coordinator of the committee, while provincial Minister Law & Parliamentary Affairs Rana Sanaullah, provincial Minister Food Bilal Yasin, provincial Minister Agriculture Dr. Farrukh Javed, provincial secretaries of Industries, Commerce & Investment, Agriculture, Law & Parliamentary Affairs and Food are its members.
The committee will review the existing laws regarding construction and shifting of sugar mills. In the existing law, there is no law regarding shifting a sugar mills from one place to another. The committee will submit its recommendations to the chief minister Punjab regarding making amendments to the existing law.