Jakhar smells rat, seeks Tota’s resignation
Thursday, 24/09/2015
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=140536&boxid=58290&uid=&dat=2015-09-24
Chandigarh : The Congress party on Wednesday threatened to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging that the state government was trying to “cover up” the whitefly pesticide scam that had led to cotton crop debacle in the state. Raising the issue during the discussion in the Vidhan Sabha on farmer’s plight due to whitefly attack on cotton crop, Punjab Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar raised a bogey of allegations holding Agriculture Minister, Director, Agriculture, Agriculture Commissioner and Punjab Agriculture University vice chancellor responsible for the crop failure.
He said that while the two top Agriculture Department officials scripted the scam, the university vice chancellor acted “indifferently” to farmer’s cause. “The facts speak themselves as to how big the pesticide scam is,” said Jakhar. He said the suspended agriculture director Mangal Singh not only flouted all rules manning his financial powers but had purchased the pesticides meant to control the whitefly attack at a higher rate and later to “cover up” the scam the state government communicated to the company not to sell the same pesticide at a lower price. Further, he added that the other pesticides including those manufactured by Markfed were purchased at a rate higher than the market price. “They knew it that low grade pesticide is bound to result in crop failure so 90 percent of the payment was made to the company merely at the time of receipt of consignment,” alleged the Congress leader.
Jakhar alleged that it was ironic that a trader turned manufacturer was being given the supply orders knowing that another pesticide manufactured by his company had failed laboratory tests indicating zero per cent of zinc sulphate against the prescribed norm of 21 per cent in that particular pesticide. “For what is the government now waiting? What more proofs are required to make the agriculture minister go,” he asked.
