IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA, CHANDIGARH CWP No. 15366 of 2007 Date of Decision: July 04,2008 Maa Durga Rice Mills and others ...........Petitioners Versus State of Punjab and others ..........Respondents Coram: Hon'ble Mr.Justice M.M.Kumar Hon'ble Mrs. Justice Sabina Present: Mr.Puneet Bali, Advocate for the petitioners. Mr.Salil Sagar, Additional Advocate General, Punjab with Mr. Yatinder Sharma, Deputy Advocate General, Punjab. Mr.Munishwar Puri,Advocate for the Food Corporation of India * * * M.M.Kumar, J. The petitioners have approached this Court by filing the instant petition for issuance of a direction to the respondents to allocate them a State procuring agency so that they can get the Paddy for custom milling, in proportion to the Paddy allocated to other similarly situated Rice Mills. 2. The petitioner was initially given Food Corporation of India as a procuring agency for allotment of custom milling paddy. During the pendency of this petition, an affidavit has been filed by Sh. H.S.Grewal, Joint Director (Rice), Food and Supplies Department, Punjab, Chandigarh stating that the Food Corporation of India has not been making purchase of the paddy in the local area of operation of the petitioner i.e. Gidderbaha. On realization of the aforementioned facts, an offer was made to the petitioners that PUNGRAIN could be allotted to them as procuring agency. CWP No.15366 of 2007 -2- 3. Mr.Bali, learned counsel for the petitioner states that as the milling of paddy is already over, no useful purpose would be served by allotment of the Paddy through the agency of PUNGRAIN. However, he has made a limited prayer that in the Paddy Season 2008 commencing from September, the petitioners may be allotted agency which may offer Paddy to the petitioners for custom milling. Keeping in view the aforementioned prayer of the petitioners, we are of the view that the main prayer made by the petitioners has been rendered infructuous. However, in future, respondent Nos. 1 and 2 shall ensure that a proper procuring agency is allotted to the petitioner which may preferably be PUNSUP or PUNGRAIN or any other State procuring agency Writ petition stands disposed of. ( M.M.Kumar ) Judge ( Sabina ) Judge July 04, 2008 arya