Urea dealers warn of filing defamation suit
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 25 2022:
While refuting the claims that five dealers did not lift urea, M/S L Meghachandra Singh proprietor L Shantikumar has demanded clarification within three days and cautioned of filling defamation suit in case of failing to do so.
Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here on Thursday, Shantikumar contended that All Manipur Fertilizer Dealers' Welfare Association is a defunct organisation which did not have an office, not conducted even a single general body meeting, did not pay annual fee and governed by self-styled two/three people who claimed themselves as president and secretary for the last 15 years.
As such, people should not trust their statements, he added.
While pointing out that dealers could not ship in urea since 2020 in the state, he confided that BUFCL company, however, allocated some urea to the dealers recently.
He also contended that 60 per cent of the urea provided last month was lifted by the department and the remaining 40 per cent by the dealers, out of which 50 per cent of the latter's consignment was handed over to the department in view of the issue of shortage of urea and the balance provided to the farmers living nearby the dealers.
Shantikumar further said that the 25 dealers took custody of the first urea shipment while five authorised dealers lifted 499 metric tonnes of urea brought in the next train.
Considering the plight of farmers, the urea lifted was distributed to them and dealers never lifted urea illegally, he maintained, while clarifying that the urea were given to them according to policy programme of the company.
It is unfortunate that they were accused of unauthorised lifting of urea instead of appreciating them for availing urea to the farmers during this troubling time of urea scarcity, Shantikumar remarked.
While setting three days' deadline to clarify by those who accused them of unauthorised lifting, he cautioned of filing defamation suit if they fails to clarify publicly.