Madhya Pradesh sugar traders defer strike

Sugar traders of Madhya Pradesh have deferred their October 1 strike after state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday assured them of a positive response to their grievances.

The traders had last week threatened to go on strike in protest against alleged harassment from bureaucrats.

The district collector of Indore had confiscated more than 8,000 quintals of sugar from 34 traders last month and had initiated the process of its auction.

Later, the traders obtained a stay on the auction of the commodity, which is tradable under government licence and monitoring since last month.

“The chief minister invited as many as hundred sugar traders and issued instructions to the officials to look into the matter. We have been assured that a necessary action will be taken in this regard and we will be given attention. We have deferred our proposed October 1 strike,” Anupam Agrawal, an office bearer of MP Sugar Vyapari Mahasangh told Business Standard.

The traders were demanding removal of stock limit and abrogation of licence system. They also demanded release of the impounded commodity immediately.

“The chief minister has given them assurance and their grievances will be redressed as early as possible,” a government spokesperson said.

State sugar traders import the commodity from Maharashtra and furnish details in Form 49, the commodity is checked at Sendhwa Commercial Tax check post.

However, traders said there was no direct transport facility from Maharashtra to remote districts like Shahdol and Sagar as a result they had to unload the commodity in Indore and retransit it to the destination.

“But Indore district officials had impounded the commodity in transit,” Agrawal said. The matter is pending with a local court and the next hearing will take place on October 6.