Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
The Ranchi district unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI), along with the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the Jharkhand Andolankari Sangharsh Morcha, staged a protest and gherao of the Agriculture Directorate in Ranchi on Thursday, alleging large-scale irregularities and corruption in the department.
The protestors first took out a large procession from the CMPDI premises, which was jointly led by CPI Ranchi district secretary Ajay Singh, AITUC leaders Ashok Yadav and Pushkar Mahto, and farmer leader Tara Singh Munda. Hundreds of farmers, including a large number of women, participated in the procession.
The protesters raised slogans such as “Stop cheating farmers,” “Why are work orders being issued to blacklisted companies?” and “Stop corruption in the Agriculture Directorate.” The procession reached the Agriculture Bhawan premises, where it turned into a public meeting.
Addressing the gathering, CPI district secretary Ajay Singh alleged that the Agriculture Directorate had witnessed a scam “bigger than the fodder scam” and claimed that substandard agricultural materials had been distributed among farmers.
He questioned why companies found to have supplied substandard materials in investigations conducted by CIPET were allegedly being awarded work orders again. Singh also alleged that Bharat Drip Irrigation and Agro, a company listed on the blacklist, continued to receive work orders and payments despite a recommendation by the Hazaribagh deputy commissioner for registration of a case against it.
He alleged that 14 blacklisted companies had been removed from the blacklist without complying with the prescribed conditions and demanded that payments to all such companies be stopped until a fresh CIPET investigation report was received.
The protesters also demanded that the entire matter be investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
AITUC leaders Ashok Yadav and Pushkar Mahto warned that if an inquiry was not initiated within seven days, the organisations would launch an indefinite sit-in protest outside the Agriculture Directorate.
The organisers said the agitation was aimed at protecting farmers’ interests and ensuring transparency and accountability in the distribution of agricultural equipment and materials.
