Firm allowed to open fruit collection centres

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 17

A company stopped from procuring oranges following apprehensions regarding theft of kinoos will be back in the trade again. Preventing the fruit business from turning bitter, the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently set aside an order declining it permission to open its centres.

The permission to procure self-aborted small oranges for medicinal purposes was unilaterally withdrawn on April 18 primarily on the ground of Covid and that representations were received from a certain segment of farmers expressing fear about the theft of kinoos. The apprehensions stemmed from the fact that “the availability of labourers was less and the farmers were busy due to the harvesting season”.

Taking up the petition filed by Hindustan Fardirect Ingredients Private Limited against Punjab and other respondents, Justice Jaishree Thakur said: “It is not as if the petitioner herein is going to collect the kinoos physically from the gardens of the farmers and, in fact, it is the farmer himself who is to bring his produce to the collection centres.”

Justice Thakur observed the petitioner was engaged in the business of procuring small oranges for preparing medicines and had been given permission to open collection centres in Sittgunno, Alamgarh and Pattrewala in Fazilka district.

Justice Thakur added the court while dealing with the present petition could take note of the fact that permission had been granted to several centres for procurement of wheat, etc. Besides, Fazilka DC’s office had granted relaxation during the curfew/lockdown period for waxing/movement of kinoos, horticulture items, fruits and cold storage daily between 7 am and 7 pm vide order dated May 3.

As such, there could be no cogent reason for stopping the petitioner to open its collection centres, if the movement of kinoos, horticulture items and fruits had been permitted by the office order dated May 3.