Punjab: Ferozepur chief agriculture officer suspended for dereliction of duty
Chief agricultural officer Jagir Singh has been suspended and issued a chargesheet for failing to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding illegal DAP fertiliser storage in Ferozepur
Chief agricultural officer Jagir Singh has been suspended and issued a chargesheet for failing to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding illegal DAP fertiliser storage in Ferozepur. This action comes amidst directives to closely monitor the distribution of DAP fertiliser due to its critical shortage.
Additional chief secretary (agriculture) Anurag Verma voiced serious concerns over the lack of regulatory compliance and resource management in the district.
“The chargesheet was filed under Rule 8 of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, and Jagir Singh has been suspended, with his headquarters now stationed at SAS Nagar’s director of agriculture and farmers welfare department,” reads the official orders issued by Verma.
The situation surfaced after an inspection of several warehouses in Ferozepur by the sub-divisional magistrate, directed by deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma. During the inspection, Sachdeva Traders, along with two other establishments, was found to have 161.8 MT (3,236 bags) of DAP fertiliser in unauthorised storage. The owners failed to provide documentation justifying this large stock, according to the orders.
“Despite the directives to monitor DAP availability, chief agricultural officer Jagir Singh allegedly failed to offer a satisfactory explanation, further raising concerns about regulatory compliance and resource management in the district. In the interim, Sandeep Kumar, chief agricultural officer of Fazilka, will assume additional responsibilities for Ferozepur,” the order said.
On Tuesday, acting on a tip-off from the CID team in Faridkot, authorities uncovered large quantities of DAP fertiliser stored across three warehouses in Ferozepur district, including 3,236 bags at Bedi warehouse, 94 bags at Machi Market, and 105 bags at Rakhri. Measures to revoke the licences of those involved have been initiated.
“Following the report from the local agriculture department, a case has been registered against the proprietors of the three warehouses,” said Saumya Mishra, senior superintendent of police, Ferozepur.
“A case under Section 3(2) Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and section 35 of the Fertiliser (Control) order, 1985, has been registered at police station Ferozepur city,” Mishra said.
2 Markfed officials suspended
Meanwhile, “Kamaldeep Singh, district manager, and Vikas Kumar, assistant sales officer (ASO) deployed as field sales officer (FSO) at Markfed, Ferozepur, have been suspended following orders of the managing director of Markfed,” said Deepshikha, deputy commissioner, Ferozepur.
“The charges against them include failing to monitor supplies at the rake point as per dispatch instructions. Both officials reportedly remained unaware of a shortfall of 1,845 bags of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), in violation of clear dispatch orders. Furthermore, despite a raid conducted by the agriculture department on Markfed’s godowns, neither Singh nor Kumar informed the higher authorities of the incident. Their actions, which also involved ignoring multiple written directives, conference calls, and video conferences, were deemed to reflect serious lapses in duty,” the reports said.
The suspension follows a formal complaint lodged by the deputy commissioner of Ferozepur, marking a significant breach of protocol and governance.