Chemical factory gheraoed for storing fertiliser illegally

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 4

Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and the Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee gheraoed a chemical factory at Cheete village and found neem-coated stock of fertilizer here on Tuesday night. Harjit Singh Cheete, leader of the Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee, claimed that as the owner of the factory illegally stored neem-coated urea, farmers were not getting it for crops.

Activists of the farmer unions laid siege to the factory last night and called officials of the Agriculture Department and the police. The police seized a truck loaded with urea and registered a case against the factory owner for illegal hoarding the fertiliser.

Gurdev Singh Varpal, zonal president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said, “Farmers are not getting fertiliser as there is a shortage of it in the market. But the factory owner had stored more than 1,000 bags of the urea and using it illegally.”

The farmers alleged that the factory owner stored the urea illegally as it was coated with neem and not for the use of industry. Residents of Cheete village alleged that the factory did not allow anyone to enter its premises.

Manmeet Pal Singh, SHO, Chatiwind police station, said, “On the farmers’ complaint, we visited Harshita Enterprises and found the fertiliser stored on its premises. A case has been registered against the factory owner under the Essential Commodities Act. We are investigating the matter. We will try to find out what is the use of fertiliser in the factory.”