India News | Violations in Purchase of Apples to Be Dealt Under APMC Act: Minister

Shimla, Mar 28 (PTI) Any violation in the purchase of apples would be dealt with under the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act, the Himachal Pradesh government said on Tuesday in the state assembly while replying to a question related to the Adani Group.

Congress member Kuldeep Singh Rathore sought details on the number of cold storage facilities opened by the group in Shimla district and the MoUs signed, and asked if the company was following rules.

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Horticulture minister Jagat Singh Negi said malpractices, if any, would be dealt with under the APMC Act.

The minister informed the House that three controlled atmosphere (CA) stores were constructed and a subsidy of Rs 15.98 crore was given by the National Horticulture Board through NABARD funds between 2008 and 2011, but no MOU was signed.

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The CA stores were set up in Sainj village in Theog, Mehdali village in Rohru and Revali village in Kumarsain in Shimla district.

In the supplementary question, Rathore maintained that Adani Group announces its rates for the purchase of apples during the mid-season which results in a crash in prices and growers suffer losses.

To this, Negi said that the government would look into legal provisions to find out whether an MoU can be signed to safeguard the interests of the producers after such a long gap.

The first CA store was set up by the Adani Group in 2006 to save the growers from exploitation by the commission agents but now the same group is allegedly exploiting the growers, Rathore claimed.

Congress MLA Harish Janartha said that there should be a mechanism for deciding the purchase price in consultations with the growers.

Replying to a question by Congress member Sudhir Sharma, Negi said that 15,332 out of 16,352 Pong Dam oustees have been issued certificates. To deal with the problem of illegal possession and other issues, Kangra's Additional SP has been appointed as the nodal officer

The officer is acting as a mediator and sending the complaints to Rajasthan police for redressal, Negi said.

He said that 1,000 left-out oustees have been asked thrice to submit eligibility certificates and other documents so that these could be verified and their cases could be sent to the Rajasthan government for allotment of “Murabbas” (land).

The development blocks in the state would be re-organised ahead of elections to Panchayati Raj institutions slated for 2025, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister Aniruddh Singh informed Vidhan Sabha.

The minister said that re-organisation would be done in consultation with MLAs and the government would consider opening offices of block development officers in assembly constituencies on a need basis.

Some blocks were de-notified as the previous BJP government had constituted blocks with only 15 to 20 Panchayats and the government would consider the opening of BDO offices at Palampur, Jwalamukhi and Panchrukhi, Singh said.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri informed the House that there were 45 HRTC buses in Keylong and Reckong Peo Depot, which need replacement but the government and corporation are not in a position to change the buses and ten buses would be given.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)