Fertiliser hoarders to face NSA in Madhya Pradesh
BHOPAL: The stringent National Security Act (NSA) will be invoked against those involved in hoarding and black marketing of fertilisers in Madhya Pradesh, state’s home minister Narottam Mishra said. “There is no shortage of fertilizers in the state. We’ve directed local administration to invoke the NSA against those who are creating shortage of fertilisers, by hoarding and black-marketing the chemical fertilisers,”
Mishra said on Friday. “Though there is no fertiliser shortage anywhere in the state, we are still assuring the farmers that fertiliser will be transported to those areas where there are reports of shortage,” he added.
Under the NSA, the government can keep a suspect in jail for 12 months without any charge.
On Thursday, the police in Bhind district had seized over hundred sacks of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser, which was being black-marketed in Gormi area. Incidentally, Mishra hails from the Gwalior-Chambal region where there have been violent protests by farmers over the shortage of fertilisers. Protests have been reported from Morena and Bhind districts. The farmers are angry over the shortage of chemical fertilisers, particularly DAP, which is needed for sowing of mustard.
The Gwalior-Chambal region is the main mustard cultivating region of MP. Importantly, the region is the home turf of Union agriculture minister Narendra Tomar and civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Earlier in the day, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan too had assured that there was no shortage of fertilisers, adding that the need of the hour was a systematic distribution for farmers. There should not be any complaint regarding distribution of fertilisers, he added.