The Agriculture Department on Thursday claimed to have seized 140 quintals of illegal fertilisers from a warehouse on Malout Road in Bathinda and registered an FIR against a Maharashtra-based company and two individuals for allegedly violating provisions of the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO), 1985, and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said the action followed a raid conducted by department officials after receiving specific information. He claimed that the seized stock could have adversely affected thousands of acres of agricultural land.
“The company allegedly did not possess a valid fertiliser licence issued by the state Agriculture Department and was selling agricultural inputs from premises licensed only for pesticide business. This amounts to a violation of Clauses 7 and 8 of the Fertiliser Control Order, 1985, and Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955,” the minister said.
Khuddian directed all Chief Agriculture Officers across Punjab to intensify surprise inspections and take strict action against violators. He also urged farmers to purchase fertilisers and seeds only from licensed dealers and report any suspicious activity to the nearest agriculture office.
Those booked in the case include Kay Bee Bio-Organics Pvt Ltd, Ravi Kumar, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, and Sable Ashant Hanumant, a resident of Maharashtra.
