Patan: In a joint operation led by the Deputy Kheti Niyamak of Patan and local police today, around 380 bags of subsidized semi-coated urea fertilizer, totaling 17,100 kg and valued at over Rs. 10 lakh, were seized from a private company. During the operation, the fertilizer was being loaded into a truck in the compound of the Devanandan Renewable Energy Solar Plant near Dhayanoj village.

The raid was conducted following widespread rumors that subsidized low-coated urea fertilizer was being misused for industrial purposes within the solar plant compound. The authorities seized 300 bags of neem-coated urea packed under the label of technical-grade urea, along with 80 bags of Khirbcho urea, as well as an Eicher truck.

Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension, AR Gami, confirmed that samples of the seized fertilizer have been sent to a laboratory in Gandhinagar for analysis. Gami stated that the subsidized semi-coated urea fertilizer is intended for agricultural use and that it is suspected that the fertilizer was illegally stored for industrial applications.

Among those implicated in the incident are Mehul Balwant Bhai Chowdhury, the manager of the solar plant, and several others, including the driver of the Eicher truck, Samina Ranawada, as well as local residents Jayantiji Shankarji Thakor and Nagji alias Pintu Santaltan Bhai Rabari from Dhayanoj. Authorities continue to investigate the origins of the seized fertilizer, as the source from which this substantial quantity was procured remains unknown. Further updates will follow as the investigation progresses. DeshGujarat