Officers falsely8217; implicated

PATIALA, May 12: The Agriculture Technocrats8217; Action Committee AGTAC demanded revamping of the system by which verification of fertiliser subsidy is done in the state here today.

Addressing a press conference, Dr Satnam Singh, president of the All India Federation of Agriculture Technologists and Dr Balwinder Singh Sohal, joint secretary of AGTAC, alleged that 15 senior officers of the agriculture department had been falsely implicated in the fertiliser subsidy case by the vigilance department.They said in 1994-95, a firm called Modern Agro Chemical Industries Jalandhar, supplied 10,671 tonnes of SSP fertiliser in Patiala district. The agriculture department staff verified 6,213 tonnes of stock 60 per cent of the total stock. Verification of the remaining stock was not possible as it had already been lifted by the farmers and whatever shortcoming were detected, were reported to the higher authorities.

The two AGTAC leaders said the agriculture officers would not work unless the verification system was modified in the interest of the state and the farmers.

Meanwhile, over 100 executive members of the AGTAC at their meeting in Jalandhar yesterday, passed a resolution demanding withdrawal of the cases and condemned the implication of farm officers by the vigilance department.