In a bid to provide outstanding amounts to orchardists who were cheated by various fruit merchants due to non-payment for their produce, a special investigation team (SIT) of Himachal Pradesh CID has issued notices to over 15 fruits merchants and asked them to show up at the CID headquarters within two weeks.
CID superintendent of police (crime) Vijendra Kalia, who issued the notices, said that the merchants will be given some time to pay the dues, but stern action will be taken against those who fail to comply.
In 2019, a five-member SIT, under Kalia’s leadership, was set up to investigate the matter as many orchardists had filed FIRs against fruit merchants in various police stations of the state. The SIT was able to nab some fruit merchants and around ₹8 crore were recovered from them and paid to orchardists, but due to the nationwide lockdown, the process had met with a halt, but now the SIT has sped it up again.
Himachal fruit vegetable and flowers association president Harish Chauhan said hundreds of orchardists have been cheated by fruit merchants as they had not paid them their dues, the amount of which is estimated to be more than ₹100 crore. This has been going on for the last seven to eight years, but after state government’s action, several orchardists were able to get their money back, Chauhan added.