Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, November 7-
Following the directives from Punjab cabinet minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, the Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) of Ferozepur, Jagir Singh, has been suspended with immediate effect citing negligence and failure to perform his duty diligently.
This action was taken by the ACS Anurag Verma, following a complaint received from the DC of Ferozepur against the CAO. The CAO has also been chargesheeted under Rule No. 8 of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 1970. During his suspension, he will report to the office of the Director of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in SAS Nagar.
DC informed the ACS that a team led by the SDM inspected the godowns of M/S. Sachdeva Traders in Ferozepur and found approximately 161.8 MT (3,236 bags) of DAP stored illegally. The firm was unable to provide any document to justify the storage of the DAP in its godowns during the investigation.
The CAO was also unable to submit a satisfactory explanation to the DC regarding this matter. This is particularly concerning as the state government had issued strict instructions to all Chief Agriculture Officers to conduct inspections to prevent hoarding and illegal storage of DAP fertiliser within the state.