The Phagwara administration on Jattvibeday sealed the Golden Sandhar Sugar Mill in Phagwara over outstanding sugarcane payments amounting to Rs 27.74 crore for the 2021-22 crushing season, bringing the long-pending dispute between the mill management and sugarcane growers back into focus.The action came amid mounting pressure from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba), which had given the Punjab Government November 18 as the deadline to resolve the payment issue, warning of intensified agitation if the farmers’ dues were not cleared.The sealing operation commenced at approximately 11.15 am on November 15 in the presence of the officers whose names were recorded in the official attendance sheet.The entire operation was videographed to maintain an official record of the proceedings and the condition of the property and equipment inside the mill. According to the inventory recorded during the videography, machinery was found installed inside the premises. The inventory also included three trucks; three conveyor machines; four tractors; one agricultural machine; five Bolero vehicles and one water tanker.After the sealing proceedings were completed in the presence of the officials, 25 keys pertaining to the nine locks installed at the mill were handed over to Dr. Rulda Singh, P.O., Punjab Cane Department, as part of the official procedure.Cane Commissioner Taranjit Singh Gill had alleged that the mill had undertaken crushing operations during the 2025-26 season without obtaining the requisite licence and had failed to clear the outstanding payments despite repeated interventions. He also pointed towards frequent changes in the mill’s ownership and management as a factor complicating the process of fixing responsibility for the liabilities.