Kisan Melas in Anantnag boon for some enjoying official patronage
Authorities allegedly disregard own set norms to benefit kin of horticulture officer, Dir says he will cancel all Kisan melas in valley in few days
Reported by: Jan Mohammad Bhat
ANANTNAG: Throwing their own set norms to wind, horticulture authorities in this southern district have allowed the unauthorised dealers to sell sprayers and other farming tools to the farmers during Kisan mela organised by the department in different horticulture zones of the district.
District horticulture authorities on Thursday (29 July) organised an awareness cum machinery mela also called Kisan melas in Achabal area of the district.
During the mela, a dealer of a lesser known company and son of an influential horticulture officer, many authorised dealers alleged, illegally sold machinery and sprayers of two reputed companies ASPEE and Honda with the patronage of top horticulture authorities.
As per norms only authorised distributors are eligible to sell the products of their companies that too after the submission of GST bills and rate list of products.
However, the authorised dealers of various companies who had been invited to set up stalls in the mela alleged that the a person dealing in farming tools under the trade name of ‘AV Agri tech India’ illegally sold over many sprayers with ASPEE pumps and Honda engines.
“Despite not being the distributor of any of these companies, ASPEE or Honda, the man was allowed by the concerned horticulture officials to sell the products of these companies. The authorised distributors of these companies who had also set up stalls at the venue lodged strong protest with the chief horticulture officer on spot but he did not give a damn,” said Ashiq Aziz, authorised dealer of Agrimate, a manufacturer of farming machinery.
He said that the man is enjoying the patronage of the top officials because of his father’s influence who works in the department and is posted at the office of director horticulture.
“It is irony that horticulture officers disregard their own rules to benefit their favorites,” Ashiq told Shaherbeen Times.
Ashiq said that the man is enjoying the blessings of officers to the extent that he even assaulted the aged authorised distributor after he lodged complaint with the officers present there.
“None of them dared to stop him from selling products of other companies,” Ashiq rued.
Ashiq said that horticulture officials in the district are involved in big frauds and all of them are enjoying the blessings of directorate.
“We have evidence of frauds involving horticulture officials of the district. We are planning to approach the governor with our grievances,” Ashiq said.
Another dealer and authorised distributor of ASPEE, Ali Mohd Dar who is working under the trade name of Standard Sales Corp , alleged that there is a deep nexus between the horticulture authorities and their blue eyed boys.
“We are in the business for 30 years and have always been at the side of horticulture authorities in the interest of farmers but we are now being sidelined and others who being benefitted in brazen violation of norms set by the department for sale of products in kisan Melas,” Dar said.
The man who was allowed to sell the products of our company also assaulted an aged dealer after he raised objection to his wrong doing,” he said.
Horticulture department provides modern farming tools like sprayers, tillers, cutters and other products to farmers under CAPEX scheme on subsidized rares. Farmers are supposed to register with zonal officers who recommend their cases to higher ups. After the verification by the department the cases of farmers are cleared for lifting of products during Kisan melas.
Another authorised distributor of the ASPEE, Amin and Sons who operates from Bijbehara said that he was surprised how the norms were being brazenly violated by a person at the Kisan mela and officers present there not dating to speak a word despite objections by scores of authorised dealers.
“As per the norms there has to be a rate contract with horticulture planning and marketing corporation (HPMC) for every product before being sold but the horticulture authorities allowed the sale of tiller of a particular company which has no rate contract with the corporation,” Amin alleged.
He added that they on spot conveyed to the director horticulture about the wrong doing at Kisan mela but he too did not bother to respond.
“We later approached CHO Anantnag with our grievance at his office and asked him to blacklist the dealer for indulging in wrong doing but the officer did not agree to our demand of blacklisting him. He, however, assured us that he will cancel all his bills for the products of other companies that he sold in violation of norms,” the aggrieved distributors of these companies said.
Chief horticulture officer Anantnag, Roshan Din Dar despite repeated calls and texts did not bother to respond.
Director horticulture , Kashmir , Ajaz Ahmad when contacted said that district level officers can comment better on the matter.
Asked what action he would take as chief of the department for Kashmir, director ironically said he would cancel all these Kisan melas now.
“There would be no Kisan melas now. Only awareness programs will be held. Let these dealers advertise and sell their products. It is not that we will invite them for such melas and in turn they would come to abuse and go the extent of beating us,” director said.
He said that he has verbally directed the horticulture authorities of the district Anantnag not to organise any machinery melas in the district any more.
Asked weather these melas will be banned in Anantnag district only, director said that he will issue the circular in coming days banning these melas in all the districts.
