The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : APMC Act: January 24 deadline to file objections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 21, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

APMC Act: January 24 deadline to file objections

Bageshree S.

Traders seek extension of time to file report

H.D. Kumaraswamy Government had promised
to constitute a panel
FKCCI was asked to name four members
to the committee

Bangalore: Karnataka seems all set to frame rules to the amended Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, 1966, which has consistently been opposed by farmers and traders.

The process of framing the rules has been set in motion with January 24 being the deadline to file objections.

Concern

This is causing concern among traders in APMC yards who were assured by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on August 9, 2007, that a committee would be set up to look into their demands before the rules were framed.

Following this assurance, an indefinite strike of APMC yard traders in protest against amendments had been withdrawn.

Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, chairperson of the Internal Trade and APMC Committee of the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), told The Hindu that he had sent his preliminary objections to the gazette notification calling for objections. He had said in his letter that the time given for filing objections should be extended until the committee constituted by the then Chief Minister submitted its report.

He has sent the letter to the Secretary to the Cooperative Department and the Governor.

“We had received a letter from the then Governor saying that FKCCI should name four nominees to the committees and we had done so,” said Mr. Lahoti.

“So, the recent draft gazette notification on filing objections has come as a surprise.”

The committee, to be headed by the then Agricultural Marketing Minister Sharanabasappagouda Darshanapur, was to have representatives from traders, trade bodies, farmers, workers and political parties.

R.V. Gopi, Vegetables and Fruits Wholesale Merchants’ Association president, said the amendments were being pushed through during President’s rule without a dialogue.

He said that FKCCI had convened a meeting on January 21 to discuss the issue.

The amendments were ushered in by the Kumaraswamy Government to allow private players into the agricultural market.

This was resisted by farmers and traders on the ground that the move would not only help multinational companies establish themselves in retail trade in India and ruin the existing market structure, but also lead to food crisis.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section