Gidderbaha (Muktsar), March 31
The state agriculture department in collaboration with the Muktsar police has effected the biggest-ever seizure of 525 bags of uncertified Bt cotton seed after carrying out a three-day-long search at three different premises of a local business firm — Punjab Beej Bhandar.
Gurdial Singh, joint director, Punjab agriculture department, said had the policemen and agriculture department officials not made the seizure, the accused would have not only earned nearly Rs 4 crore through the selling of the seeds, but also been instrumental in making thousands of unsuspecting cotton growers suffer massive losses on account of sowing such seeds.
Every bag contained seeds to the tune of 40 kg to 80 kg, he added.
A section of cotton growers pointed out that the seizure of uncertified Bt cotton seeds in such a huge quantity and that too in the hometown of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal belied the claims of the SAD-BJP combine government that all-out efforts were being made to check the sale of spurious Bt cotton seeds.
Gurdial Singh pointed out that the raiding teams also managed to seize about 11 quintals of spurious fertiliser and 12 quintals of uncertified pesticide. He added that all seized items had been sealed and handed over to the local police for further action after the raids came to an end today. This was the fifth cache of uncertified Bt cotton seeds in the region in past few weeks.
He said by acting swiftly, the state agriculture department authorities managed to save thousands of acres of land of cotton belt of Punjab, which could have been sown with the uncertified Bt cotton seeds.
A case under the insecticides
act, seed act and essential commodities act has been made out against Kewal Krishan, Pardeep Kumar and Ashok Kumar in the local police station after a huge recovery of uncertified seed was made following a joint search carried out at three premises owned by the accused. The case was registered
on the complaint of the seed inspector, Gidderbaha.
The accused have been absconding.
Gurdial Singh, who supervised the raids, said the raids were conducted on the shop, godown and processing unit being run by the accused.
He said as per his information, the seizure of Bt cotton seeds made by the raiding teams in the past three days was biggest ever in the North India.
The raiding teams also recovered the packing material, colours and pouches.
He added that the accused were not having any licence issued by the authorities concerned to store Bt cotton seeds in the godown from where the same was seized.
Information gathered by TNS revealed that action against Punjab Beej Bhandar was initiated after a complaint was received against it by the state agriculture department authorities.
The state agriculture department authorities immediately constituted raiding teams, which conducted the raids. The teams comprised senior officials of the agriculture department.
Information revealed that the state agriculture department authorities were also trying to find out the fact that how much quantity of uncertified Bt cotton seeds had been sold to the farmers of this region so far so that farmers concerned could be stopped from using the same.
