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| Noted bureaucrat loyal to politicians in nexus with spray oil dealers, Agri officials lobbying to supply substandard pesticides, fertilizers | | | Javaid Naikoo
Srinagar, Mar 4 : Despite state government's blanket ban on the sale of substandard pesticides and fertilizers through dealers to the orchardists following the tremendous loss to orchardists over the years, one noted bureaucrat in nexus with dealers and officials have been making all their efforts to lift the ban on the sale of "unregistered" spray oils, pesticides and fertilizers. At a time when season's first spray to apple trees is near, according to sources one noted bureaucrat of Kashmir who is considered as loyal to politicians and highly placed officials of the Department of Agriculture because of his uncountable wealth is supplying substandard pesticides and fertilizers of different companies to Kashmir from outside state. According to sources whatever he supplies to Kashmir be it is tree spray oil, pesticides or fertilizers is sold and stocked without any sampling before use by the department of agriculture as not only he enjoys monopoly because pesticides and fertilizers he supplies to Kashmir does not fall under the insect side act of india 1968 but also he controls the concerned sampling officials of the department of agriculture posted at district headquarters by virtue of his political influence and wealth. Sources said that at present most of the companies which supply pesticides and fertilizers to Kashmir deal with a lobby of bureaucrats and such companies have been making all their efforts to not only recover the seized lacs of liters of spray oil from the Agriculture Department's Enforcement wing after lot of hue and cry by orchardist since last year across Kashmir but are also trying hard to push un-registered, less quality spray oil, pesticides and fertilizers into the market with the support of some noted sampling officials of the Department of Agriculture. Keeping anonymity of his name one official of the Department of Agriculture said that despite lot of hue and cry since last year against the sale and supply of substandard pesticides and fertilizers by orchardists, a lobby of bureaucrats of Kashmir are in continuous touch with the Minister and highly placed officials of the Department of Agriculture these days and digging ways to allow sale and supply substandard pesticides and fertilizers to Kashmir which are not tested in labs here. Sources also said that in absence of qualified staff and standard testing laboratory in kashmir vested interests preffer to deal with sub-standard pesticides and fertilizers and misuse the helplessness of farmers in nexus with officials of the Department of Agriculture and officials of the department responsible official for sampling of pesticides and fertilizers supplied to the market by various companies when asked by any media persons give an excuse that insecticides,fertilizers avilable in the market are not recognized by the Insecticide Act of India and with an ease make ways for unauthorized Insecticides openly available in the markets. Talking to Early Times orchardists said the authorities have either failed to check the qualities of pesticides and fertilizers as these officials are in nexus with sub-standard pesticide,fertilizer suppliers in the market. "From last few years' scores of un-registered pesticides and fertilizers have ruined thousands of apple bearing trees and also damaged the quality of this cash crop," said one orchardist of Shopian. Earlier, thousands of farmers protest in South Kashmir's Apple town Shopian district against the supply of substandard fertilizers and pesticides by some companies in nexus with dealers and submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Shopian, Bashir Ahmad Bhat. "Farmers brought this serious matter into my notice at the right time by submitting a memorandum. "I will bring the same into the notice of higher authorities, so that the farmers get relief from today onwards," said DC Shopian Bashir Ahmad Bhat. |
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