AIADMK Legislative Party Leader P. Purushothaman on Wednesday alleged irregularities in the government-run Cooperative Sugar Mill in Lingareddipalayam.
Raising the issue during ‘zero hour’, Mr. Purshothaman said there was loss of Rs.12 crore to the public exchequer in 2012 as a three-member committee sold sugar to an export concern at the rate of Rs. 28 per kg when the market rate was Rs.40 per kg.
Similarly, molasses were sold at Rs. 4,000 per tonne whereas the market rate stood at Rs.6,000 per tonne. When the workers of the mill raised the issue, they replied that it was meant to settle the dues of farmers who supplied sugar cane. He also accused the committee of obtaining huge pecuniary benefits from the sale.
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Listing out alleged irregularities in the mill, Mr. Purshothaman said though Government fixed procurement price per tonne above the price of sugar cane determined by the Union government, the fund was not disbursed to the mill. He also alleged that sugar cane lorries were weighed twice over at the weigh bridge and two sets of cheques are issued for same transactions to siphon off money.
As outstanding dues amounted to Rs.110 crore, the mill has been struggling with a huge financial crunch. Even the employees were severely affected due to non-payment of provident fund, gratuity, and other benefits by the mill management.
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Raising another issue during ‘zero hour’, Legislative Party Deputy Leader of AIADMK A.Anbalagan wanted the government to spell out its stand on the implementation of reservation to Scheduled Caste people after recent order of Supreme Court.
He pointed out that the apex court quashed orders of government extending reservation only to SC people who were origins of Puducherry. He said he wanted to know whether the government would extend reservation to SC people without any discrimination or would file review petition in the Supreme Court.
SalaryAnother AIADMK MLA, Omsakthi Sekar said that salary has been not been paid to employees in the government institutions for several months now.
Their families have been facing untold suffering due to that. Particularly employees of Puducherry Agro Products, Food and Civil Supplies Corporation(PAPSCO), Puducherry Agro Service and Industrial Corporation(PASIC), and Puducherry Cooperative Milk Producers Union(PONLAIT) were struggling without salary for several months now.
He said that some of them were even pushed to the situation of committing suicide. Mr. Sekar also said that the government should show its care and attention on those employees and to disburse salaries on the eve of Deepavali or at least the government should take action to release five-month salaries