Phagwara, NOV 15: The Phagwara administration sealed the Golden Sandhar Sugar Mill on Sunday over unpaid sugarcane arrears totalling Rs 27.74 crore from the 2021-22 crushing season, bringing the long-standing payment dispute back to the forefront.
Administrative officials moved in ahead of the November 18 deadline set by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba), which had cautioned of an intensified agitation if the growers’ pending dues were not settled. The sealing drive was carried out in the presence of designated officials whose attendance was formally recorded.
To ensure transparency and document the condition of the assets inside, the entire process was videographed. Officials prepared an inventory listing installed plant machinery alongside three trucks, three conveyor machines, four tractors, an agricultural machine, five Bolero vehicles, and a water tanker.
Earlier, Cane Commissioner Taranjit Gill had noted that the mill conducted crushing operations during the 2025-26 season without securing the necessary licence, while failing to clear the pending arrears despite repeated administrative interventions. Gill also observed that frequent shifts in the mill’s ownership and management had complicated efforts to fix accountability for the liabilities.
