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Stalemate continues in tobacco auctions

Our Bureau

Guntur, Sept. 18

THE stalemate in the Andhra Pradesh tobacco market continued on Monday too with the field staff of the Tobacco Board refusing to conduct auctions, insisting that their demands on the enforcement of the crop holiday be met, and talks were still continuing to persuade them.

The field staff and employees served notice last Thursday on the board that they would not be in a position to hold auctions, unless the board authorised them to act against farmers violating the crop holiday and raising nurseries unauthorisedly. The not ice was served after the Koyyalagudem incident in which the field staff there were detained for a day last week after a quarrel over the crop holiday issue.

The staff also sought clear guidelines on the enforcement of the crop holiday and action against the members of the trade and the board publicly giving statements and advertisements against the crop holiday.

Meanwhile, the acting Chairman of the Tobacco Board, Mr S.M. Acharya, of the Karnataka cadre, would be relieved from New Delhi on September 20 and would go back to Karnataka and a new chairman would have to be appointed. It is learnt that a decision migh t be taken on Tuesday in New Delhi on the issue. The post of the chairman has been lying vacant since November, 1999, and the Centre has sought the Andhra Pradesh Government to send a list of IAS officers willing to take it up. But it is learnt that the State Government has not been able to respond to the request, as there are no takers. For one thing, the seat of the chairman has become too hot for the past two years, with the crisis in the market and the consequent pressures from the farmers, the trad e and political leaders.

Mr K.J.B.V Subrahmanyam, Executive Director staying here, has been holding fort throughout the crisis period this year and Mr Acharya, operating from New Delhi, could to an extent escape the heat. However, whenever he visited the State (probably four to five times during the past five months or so), he was not spared.

It remains to be seen whether the Union Commerce Ministry would appoint a full-time chairman or opt for another acting chairman.