Chandigarh: Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday directed the officials of the department to transfer Rs 1.05 crore into the bank accounts of sugarcane farmers from Sangrur area, by January 22.

He also asked the Sangrur deputy commissioner to ensure the release of pending payment of around Rs 6.95 crore from the Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill to farmers by the end of this month.

During a meeting with Sangrur district administration, management of M/s Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill, Dhuri, and representatives of Ganna Kashatkar Sangharsh Committee, Dhuri, the minister directed the district administration to ensure that the farmers do not face any hardship while selling their produce because of any unfair practices.

The Sangrur authorities apprised the minister that around 2 lakh quintals of sugarcane of the Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill had been crushed through mills situated at Amloh, Budhewal, Mukerian and Nakodar, as the Dhuri unit was non-operational.

Sangrur police crack gun house theft case, arrest five persons. 14 stolen weapons, 30 cartridges, motorcycle, cutter, hammer, and iron rods seized. Investigation led to recovery of stolen weapons and live cartridges, as well as identification of the accused.

Police in Sangrur arrest five accused involved in the robbery at a gun house. They recover 14 stolen weapons, including pistols, revolvers, guns, and a rifle, along with live cartridges. The accused are identified as Pawandeep Singh, Malwinder Singh, Sandeep Singh, Amandeep Singh, and Gurmeet Singh.

Three workers were killed in a sugar mill explosion at the Jawaharpur sugar mill in Sitapur. The explosion occurred during a trial run in the newly set up ethanol tank, causing the workers’ death. The deceased workers have been identified as Avtaar Singh, Raju Maurya, and Vinod Singh.