HT Correspondent
BOKAJAN, Sept 13: Illegal smuggling of subsidised fertilisers through Assam seems to have resumed after a break, as Karbi Anglong Police have once again intercepted a huge consignment of subsidised urea fertiliser at Khatkhati along the Assam-Nagaland border late on Monday evening under Khatkhati police station. The police said that the fertiliser was being illegally transported to Manipur.
Police said that the drivers of the truck produced a challan which was meant for transporting Organic Bio Fertiliser. However, on checking the load it was found that the truck was carrying subsidised urea fertiliser.
Related Posts:
“The seized consignment was supposed to be smuggled to Manipur. We seized approximately 3800 bags of subsidized urea fertilizer of 45 kg each from five trucks in Khatkhati and detained 6 persons including the drivers and helpers of the vehicles on Monday. We have kept them in Khatkhati police station for further interrogation. A team of Agriculture department officials verified the consignment on Tuesday and found it to be illegal,” a police officer said.
“We loaded the consignment from a private godown in Jharkhand and was supposed to deliver it in Manipur. We don’t know much about the consignor or the consignee of the goods, we just have their phone numbers,” told a driver from one of the seized trucks.
Mention may be made that earlier the smugglers diverted these stocks of fertilisers from Assam creating a shortage and depriving the farmers of the state. However, after a crackdown by the Himanta Biswa Sarma led BJP government in 2021, the smugglers have changed strategy and started procuring fertiliser from states outside North-East. These fertilisers are later transported on the basis of genuine invoices of other unregulated goods to avoid detection. Primarily goods being ‘Poultry Feed’ followed by ‘Organic Fertiliser’ and others.
Fertiliser dealers, fake billing rackets, dubious transporters and a network of other people are involved in this illegal business. Until recently, there were restrictions on the sale of urea in the open market in Manipur in an effort to contain diversion and black marketing. The Agriculture Department procured and distributed it among the farmers themselves to ensure zero leakage. A 45 kg bag of Neem Coated Urea in Manipur can reportedly cost over Rs 1,000 in the black market.
