The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday directed sugar mill owners to pay all outstanding dues to sugarcane growers by Friday, June 14.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Azmat Saeed issued the orders.
The total dues Brothers Sugar Mills have to clear stand at Rs 678.9 million. Darya Khan Sugar Mills have to clear Rs 57 million and Pattoki Sugar Mills have to clear dues worth Rs 591 million.
The court ordered mill owners to hand their cheques, created in the name of the deputy commissioners of relevant districts, over to the sugarcane commissioner by Friday. The commissioner will hand over the cheques to the deputy commissioners of the relevant districts.
The court further said that in case the cheques are not submitted by Friday, the Advocate General’s office should file an application on the matter in court. “If the commitment made with the court is not upheld, there will be dire consequences. It will not be good if the cheques bounce or do not arrive by Friday,” Justice Azmat Saeed warned.
In January, sugarcane growers had expressed concern over the government’s failure to implement the SC’s order regarding payment of the sugarcane price to the farmers.
The apex court had fixed the rate of Rs 180 per 40 kilogramme for mills across the country.
