Madhya Pradesh: Authorities Bust Major Urea Black Marketing In Ratlam

Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): The district administration uncovered 80 metric tons of government-supplied urea illegally stored in a private warehouse during a Thursday afternoon raid. The fertiliser shipment, originally destined for Meghnagar in Jhabua, was diverted from its intended route.

According to officials, 1,790 bags of urea were loaded in three trucks from Shri Ram Warehouse in Dhonsvas, Ratlam on Wednesday evening. Instead of reaching their intended destination in Meghnagar, the trucks diverted their cargo to a private warehouse in Dilip Nagar, Ratlam.

One truck was unloaded on Wednesday evening, while two others were emptied on Thursday morning. Upon receiving information, collector Rajesh Batham ordered immediate action.

A team led by additional collector Dr Shalini Srivastava, SDM Anil Bhana and CSP Satyendra Ghanghoriya conducted the raid, leading to the discovery of urea along with other fertilisers. Warehouse operator Pawan Jain claimed that the trucks were unloaded due to mechanical problems, as requested by the transporter.

However, officials questioned the likelihood of three trucks simultaneously developing mechanical issues. Moreover, there are speculations of involvement of government warehouse employees, transporter and private warehouse operators.

The administration is coordinating with State Marketing Federation officials for a thorough investigation. Additional collector Dr Srivastava confirmed that while the consignment papers showed Meghnagar as the destination, the fertiliser was illegally diverted to the private warehouse. Further investigation in the matter is underway.