Renew licences, says Agri Secy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 1

Deciding in favour of around 205 commission agents at the Sector 26 Vegetable and Fruit Market, the Secretary Agriculture, K Narsima, today prevailed upon the Secretary, State Agriculture Marketing Board (SAMB)-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Mohammed Shayin, on the issue of renewing the licence of these agents.

Overruling the contention of the Secretary, SAMB, that the licence of commission agents could not be renewed as they had evaded market fee and had violated the allotment rules governing the grant of licence, the Secretary Agriculture allowed the renewal of licence of the eligible commission agents without paying the 2 per cent bank guarantee on their last year’s transaction.
The decision was taken after the Subzi Mandi Aarhti Association led by its president Digvijay Kapoor met UT Adviser Vijay Kumar Dev, who then directed Narsima to take a decision on the issue.
Incidentally, the Secretary of the Marketing Board had written to the Adviser in February last seeking a vigilance inquiry to probe the role of officials of the Sector 26 Market Committee and misuse branch of the UT Estate Office for overlooking glaring violations by commission agents.
The commission agents were found running their business from the first floor of the shop-cum-flats (SCFs) whereas the upper floors are meant for residential purposes.
The grant of licence under the Punjab Agriculture Produce Markets Act, 1961, governs the terms and conditions for the grant of licence of a commission agent.
On the basis of physical verification, the erring commission agents had also been issued show-cause notices to explain their position.
On the other hand, the association of commission agents contested the claims of the marketing board that they had been violating rules and their licences had been renewed in the past and have been alleging harassment at the hands of the Secretary of the marketing board.