Gulbarga: Labour leader and former Minister S.K. Kantha has urged the State Government to appoint an efficient officer as administrator for the Aland Co-operative Sugar Factory.

He has opposed the Government's move to appoint Deputy Commissioner Anjum Pervez as administrator.

Mr. Kantha, who is leading an agitation for the last two years demanding that the Government run the sick factory, told presspersons on Thursday that mismanagement is the prime reason for its sickness.

He said that successive elected managing bodies were never interested in running the factory properly.

He alleged that they misused the funds and forced the Governments to go slow on inquiries instituted into the alleged irregularities.

He alleged that Mr. Pervez, who was Special Officer of the factory last season, did not run the factory well. "Crushing could be taken up only for a week last season.

And this further increased the losses being faced by the factory," he said.

The former Minister said that according to rules, a special officer can be appointed for only a year. This is the third year that Mr. Parvez has been appointed special officer for the factory.

"Some influential politicians in the district are trying to set up another factory. They want to install second hand equipment in their factory, as original equipment will be costly. Thus, they want to declare the Aland factory fit for closure and sell all the equipment as scrap," he alleged.

The government had sanctioned funds for starting crushing last year. However, it changed its mind and decided to lease out the factory management, he said. Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh agreed to reconsider this after another agitation. Now it has been decided that the Government will run the factory this season. It will provide Rs. 8 crores as working capital. Cleaning had already begun and would be completed in a day or two, he said.

Mr. Kantha opposed holding elections to the factory for the next five years and preferred using the services of an administrator in running it. Farmers have cultivated three lakh tonnes of sugarcane in the factory command area. This will be sufficient for the factory this season, he added

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