Ludhiana: Subsidised urea seized from plywood factory, FIR registered

The factory was misusing subsidised urea meant for farmers, thereby causing loss to the government as well as farmers, says Gurdeep Singh, chief agriculture officer

A joint team of agriculture officials and Dakha police carried out a surprise inspection at Arya Industries, a plywood factory located in Ranke village, and seized agriculture-grade (subsidised) urea being used illegally in the manufacturing process.

The district administration said such inspections would continue in order to prevent diversion of subsidised fertilisers and to ensure that benefits meant for farmers are not misused by commercial establishments. (HT Photo for representation)

Chief agriculture officer Gurdeep Singh said the inspection revealed that the factory had been using urea meant exclusively for agricultural purposes. He explained that agriculture-grade urea is supplied to farmers at highly subsidised rates by the central government and is strictly meant for crop use. “The factory was misusing subsidised urea for industrial production, thereby availing undue benefit of the subsidy and causing financial loss to both the government and the farming community,” he said.

Following the recovery, fertiliser inspector Arshdeep Singh of Hambran sealed the stock of urea on the spot. A case has been registered against the factory at the Dakha police station under relevant sections for violation of fertiliser control norms and misuse of subsidised inputs.

Deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain issued strict instructions to all industrial units to function strictly within the framework of law. He warned that any instance of illegal use or black-marketing of agriculture-grade urea would invite stringent legal action.

The district administration said such inspections would continue in order to prevent diversion of subsidised fertilisers and to ensure that benefits meant for farmers are not misused by commercial establishments.