COIMBATORE: Farmers of Thirumalaiyampalayam village on the outskirts of Coimbatore district busted an illegal storage, processing and transportation unit of central government-subsidised Neem-coated urea and found around 60 tonnes of fertiliser (Urea) stocked at a private godown near their farmlands.
KG Chavadi police seized the stock and have referred the case to other departments for further investigation.
Farmers alleged the fertiliser was intended for distribution under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana (PMBJP). However, a large quantity was brought in illegally from Bengaluru. After processing at the unit, it was allegedly transported to Kerala.
The incident occurred at Kommandamparai village of Thirumalaiyampalayam Town Panchayat, near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. The area is primarily agricultural where tomato, ladies' fingers, cowpeas and coconut is cultivated, depending heavily on groundwater. Police said the godown, owned by Asif K Ali, a native of Kerala, was set up on private farmland belonging to local farmer Balakrishnan.
Under the lease agreement, the godown was set up a few months ago with fertilisers being processed a month ago. "We initially thought it was a private establishment. But frequent arrival of trucks from Karnataka and other states triggered doubt," said P Krishnasamy, a local farmer.
"On Saturday, we blocked two trucks and questioned the drivers. They did not know about the processing, but said they were tasked to unload the material in Kerala. When we went inside, we found more than 3,000 bags of subsidised urea stocked and being processed into liquid and paste form," he added.
Under PMBJP, a 45 kg sack of neem-coated urea is given to farmers at Rs 266.50 against a market price of Rs 1,457.29. Farmers get a maximum of two bags after submitting Aadhaar details to prevent misuse, said farmers.
"How a private firm sourced such a huge quantity of government-subsidised fertiliser is the question. The authorities should conduct a detailed investigation," demanded R Silambarasan, advocate and social activist from Thirumalaiyampalayam.
Farmers also accused the unit of discharging water mixed with fertiliser extract directly into the ground, which could contaminate groundwater.
They further raised concerns about the illegal use of government-subsidised fertiliser in bulk for private processing.
Police have demanded that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Agriculture Department conduct a detailed probe into procurement and environmental violations.
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One more chemical unit was also found at Pichanur village in the Thirumalaiyampalayam panchayat on Saturday. The TNPCB officials, along with the police and the Agriculture department, held an inquiry at the unit and found several tonnes of government-subsidised urea stored inside the unit. A senior officer from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said that they held an inspection after the residents raised complaints over the illegal discharge of chemical substances. The illegal procurement of urea is being investigated by the Agriculture Department. Both units are unauthorised and no one was there during our visit; all had absconded. We are investigating it with the support of the police and other stakeholder departments," the officer said.