Chaos, road blockades over fertilizer shortage

A severe shortage of urea fertilizer has sparked chaos among farmers in Chhendipada block of Angul district, forcing many to line up overnight outside cooperative societies in hopes of securing supplies.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

‘The matter came to the fore after large crowds gathered outside the Bagadia Cooperative Society Monday. Farmers said they rushed to join the queue as early as 2am Sunday after hearing a shipment had arrived, With the crowd growing unmanageable, many resorted to leaving their Aadhaar cards in line to hold their place while they sat nearby.

Despite heavy rain lashing the area around 11am Monday, drenched farmers stood in the queue with many saying their Aadhaar cards were soaked. They alleged that the cooperative society was not distributing fertilizer properly and the supply reaching the block was far below demand.

Meanwhile, unscrupulous traders were reportedly buying fertilizer at the government rate of £270 per bag and selling at inflated prices of %600 to 7700. Tensions rose when farmers accused the cooperative society of irregularities in distribution, leading them to lock its gates in protest. On being informed, Bagadia police station Inspec: tor-In-Charge Biplab Sahu rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the crowd but failed. Left with no option, he halted the sale of fertilizer.