Mobile Court Fines Former Union Parishad Chairman in Gaibandha for Illegal Fertilizer Hoarding
Photo Collected
A mobile court in Gaibandha’s Sadullapur upazila seized a large quantity of illegally hoarded fertilizer from a warehouse owned by Shahin Sarkar, a former chairman of Bongram Union Parishad. Following the discovery, the court fined Sarkar 30,000 taka.
Acting on a tip-off, the raid was conducted at the warehouse in Monduar village around 2:30 a.m. on Monday. The operation was led by Sadullapur Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Jasim Uddin, with personnel from the local agriculture department and police in attendance.
Magistrate Jasim Uddin confirmed the details of the seizure on Tuesday afternoon. The inventory recovered from the warehouse included 13 sacks of urea, 16 sacks of DMP, 13 sacks of TSP, two sacks of potash (MOP) at 50 kilograms each, and 28 sacks of gypsum at 25 kilograms each. The total market value of the confiscated fertilizer is estimated at 56,700 taka. The materials have been placed under the custody of the upazila agriculture officer.
In response to the fine, Shahin Sarkar denied any wrongdoing, stating that he is not a registered fertilizer dealer and that the facility was a formerly operational cattle farm that now sits vacant. Sarkar alleged that his nephew, who deals in pesticides and retail fertilizer, had stored the items in the warehouse without his direct involvement. He further claimed that his political opponents orchestrated the raid to sabotage his candidacy in the upcoming Union Parishad election.
Sadullapur Upazila Agriculture Officer Apurba Bhattacharya stated that the raid is part of an ongoing effort to combat unscrupulous traders who create artificial supply shortages. He confirmed that the seized fertilizer will be distributed to local farmers at government-mandated prices to ensure fair access.
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