DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

A chief agriculture officer in Punjab was suspended on Thursday after he failed to provide a satisfactory reply on the illegal storage of DAP fertiliser in a private godown. On the directions of Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Jagir Singh, the Ferozepur chief agriculture officer, was suspended for failing to diligently perform his duty, an official statement said.

The action was taken by Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Anurag Verma following a complaint against Singh by the Ferozepur deputy commissioner. Singh has also been chargesheeted under provisions of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules.

During his suspension, Singh will report to the office of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare director in SAS Nagar.

The Ferozepur deputy commissioner informed Verma that a team led by the subdivisional magistrate inspected the godowns of Sachdeva Traders in Ferozepur and found 161.8 metric tons (3,236 bags) of DAP fertilisers stored illegally.

The company was unable to provide any document to justify the fertiliser's storage. The chief agriculture officer was also unable to submit a satisfactory explanation on the matter to the deputy commissioner, the statement said.

This is particularly concerning as the state government had issued strict instructions to all chief agriculture officers to conduct inspections to prevent hoarding and illegal storage of DAP fertiliser.

Verma said anyone found indulging in malpractice would not be spared and strict legal action taken against them.
(editor@dailyworld.in)