Unchecked fertiliser trade in Haryana flagged amid Red Fort blast probe

Agriculture officials admit nitrogen-rich fertilisers like ammonium nitrate and CAN fall outside monitoring systems, despite their explosive potential.

Investigating agencies are tracking the movement of ammonium nitrate, also known as NH₄NO₃, and Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium fertilizer, or NPK, both suspected to have been misused as explosive precursors in the Delhi blast on Monday. Despite this alert, fertilizer supplies in Haryana remain largely unchecked, officials said on Saturday. Five fertilizer wholesalers in Nuh, Palwal and Sohna have been taken into custody for allegedly supplying ammonium based fertilizers to a terror accused module operating from Al Falah University in Faridabad for quick monetary gains and with poor record keeping, officers familiar with the matter said.

Data shows 21 wholesalers in Nuh legally handle ammonium nitrate, exposing loopholes even as unsafe storage and missing records complicate the crackdown. (AP)

According to the district agriculture department, only subsidised fertilizers under the union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers are monitored through the Integrated Fertilizer Management System known as iFMS. “Our systems can only track phosphatic fertilizers, Di Ammonium Phosphate or DAP, Muriate of Potash or MOP, NPK or complex fertilizers which include N P K blends, ammonium sulphate which is a P and K grade fertilizer, and Single Super Phosphate or SSP,” said Virender Arya, deputy director of the Nuh agriculture department.

Arya added nitrogen based fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate, also known as CAN, are not part of iFMS tracking. A senior agriculture official added that although traders are advised to keep batch numbers and GST details, many do not maintain proper records.

Official data shows that 21 of 28 fertilizer wholesalers in Nuh are licensed to distribute ammonium nitrate, CAN and NPK to 476 retail shops. The agriculture department had projected a requirement of 1000 metric tonnes of NPK and ammonium nitrate ahead of the Rabi season. “In comparison to DAP at 18,000 metric tonnes and Urea at 18,000 metric tonnes, demand for NPK and ammonium nitrate is extremely low,” Arya said.

Arya said the department had never encountered cases of these fertilizers being used as explosives. A senior official added that the monitoring network may soon be expanded to include water soluble and high nitrogen fertilizers.

Officials said only five of seventeen wholesalers in Gurugram were licensed last year to handle ammonium nitrate and that Palwal acts as a buffer point where supplies arrive by train. “Ammonium nitrate is allowed under the Fertilizer Control Order Act of 1985 but can be distributed only to license holders,” said Anil Tanwar, deputy director in Gurugram.

A senior official at the Central Fertilizer Quality Control and Training Institute in Faridabad said ammonium nitrate must be stored under controlled conditions due to explosion hazards.

The investigation into the Delhi blast near the Red Fort on November 10 has triggered a major crackdown in Haryana’s Nuh district, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) detaining a fertilizer and seed shop owner from Pinangwan for allegedly supplying the key explosive ingredient, ammonium nitrate.

Nuh deputy commissioner Akhil Pilani stated that oversight outside the integrated Financial Management System (iFMS) would be strengthened, while the superintendent of police has sought records of all license holders. Officials indicated that these gaps in record-keeping may have enabled the unchecked supplies to the accused in the blast case.

The scrutiny has already uncovered specific violations. The agriculture department confirmed that Dinesh Daboo Singhla in Pingawan—the same individual detained by the NIA—had no permission to distribute nitrogen-based fertilizers. Furthermore, two other establishments, Laxmi Seed Store and Madan Seed Store in Sohna, are also under investigation for their potential role in the illicit supply chain.