Will adopt all measures to ensure pending payments to farmers: DC Kapurthala
Kapurthala: Taking a major decision to ensure the payments of sugarcane to farmers by the Golden Sandhar sugar mill Phagwara, the district administration has attached all the moveable and immovable properties of the mill to the district collector under the section 72 of Punjab land revenue act 1887.
The attached properties included machinery, power generation plant, structures, buildings, yards, residential compounds, vehicles and any other moveble and immovable assets. It may be mentioned here that the land of mill was not included under this attachment as it was given by the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh Ahluwalia of Kapurthala ( now under the ownership of Punjab Government) and was allotted to the sugar mill purposes only under specific conditions.
Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala Vishesh Sarangal said that many sugarcane farmers sold their crops to the mill but since 2019-20 they had not been paid by the mill.
Sarangal, who also written a letter to the 22 Deputy commissioners of the state few days back to identify the land owned by the Mill in their district jurisdiction, has also informed that as per the report of Tehsildar Phagwara dated 12 September 2022, the Golden Sandhar sugar mill Phagwara have to pay Rs . 50 crore 33 lakh to the farmers against the purchase of sugarcane .
In his letter, Tehsildar also informed that the Mill owners and its administration were not cooperating to clear the pending dues of farmers which forced the administration to attach the properties of mill.
Acting swiftly on the recommendation of letter , SDM Phagwara ordered to attach the Plants and machinery, Power generation plant / structures / Buildings / yards / Residential compounds / vehicles / other moveble and immovable assets / other physical assets of the Mill.
Deputy commissioner also made it clear that the district administration would take every step to ensure the remaining payment to the farmers by the mill.