Bhopal, Sep 30 (IANS) Sugar traders in Madhya Pradesh Wednesday decided to postpone their proposed indefinite strike following the intervention of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
“We have decided not to go on strike from Thursday. The chief minister’s stand was cordial and we know that our strike would cause problem to the common man during Diwali,” Bhopal Sugar Traders’ Association president Kundanlal Bhurani told IANS.

The decision was taken after a meeting with Chief Minister Chouhan Tuesday.

Earlier the traders had stopped procuring fresh stock from mills and threatened to go on strike from Oct 1 in protest against the state government’s move to confiscate the commodity from wholesalers and introducing licence for them.

The chief minister has assured us that the government would look into the issue sympathetically and no injustice would be done to the traders, he said.

“However, we may return to the strike plan if our problems are not resolved by Oct 21,” Bhurani added.

“We have requested the chief minister to take action against hoarders. But the government has to return the seized sugar of honest traders.”

Sugar traders have demanded that the government return the confiscated sugar stock, settle cases registered against them by the food department, revoke control order and and give up the planned licensing system for transporters.

The food and civil supplies department had seized more than 63,000 quintals of sugar recently in raids against hoarders across the state.

Meanwhile, the state has allotted 40 lakh quintals of sugar under the public distribution system for October.