Pending sugarcane dues: Properties of 3 mill owners attached

Sugarcane farmers cutting last lot of crop in Bagpat District, Uttar Pradesh. (Express Photo Praveen Khanna) 

AMID farmers protesting over non-payment of sugarcane dues, the state government has initiated action against three sugar mills which failed to repay the amount despite being issued recovery certificates. The Ghaziabad district administration Monday seized five bank accounts of the Modinagar sugar mill which has pending dues of Rs 150 crore.

The district administration had, last month, attached around 7,000 quintal sugar, three offices and a farm house at Sikari Khurd. “The stock seized from the distillery unit is worth around Rs 10 crore,” Modinagar Tehsildar Raj Bahadur Singh said.
Umesh Modi, owner of Modi Industries Limited, runs the Modinagar sugar mill in Ghaziabad and Malakpur sugar mill in Baghpat.
Meanwhile, a Bulandshahr district administration team attached the office of Chief General Manager of Wave Sugar Industries Limited, which has pending dues of Rs 24 crore, said District Cane Officer (DCO) DK Saini.

“We also warned them of arrest and seizing bank accounts if dues are not paid,” said Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Arvind Singh said.

The Hapur district administration has begun the process of auctioning sugar seized from two mills in Simbhaoli. Simbhaoli Sugar Mills Limited has pending dues worth Rs 121 crore and its Brijnathpur unit has to pay Rs 71 crore, said Hapur DCO Om Prakash Singh. Hapur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Satya Prakash Singh said they had last month seized around 1.25 quintal of sugar from Simbhaoli sugars mills and around 70,000 quintal from the Brijnathpur unit.