Cases Under PD Act Will Be Booked Against Spurious Seed Sellers: Telangana DGP

In the recent past, Vikarabad, Gadwal and Police Commissionerates of Rachakonda, Warangal, Ramagundam conducted raids and huge quantities of spurious seeds, illegally manufactured pesticides, insecticides were seized. Police will initiate PD Act proceedings against these spurious seed offenders.

“None will be spared if they try to sell spurious seeds. Farmers are requested to procure seeds from authorised dealers only and not from fly-by-night operators or those resorting to mal-practices,” he said.

In case of any information relating to spurious seeds, fertilizers, pesticide, insecticides etc., citizens should approach the nearby police station. Telangana police have highest respect for t farmers who are the ‘Anna Datha’.

According to police, fake, spurious and substandard seeds are those which are not produced as per the standard practice of seed production, not having field history and records, not meeting the seed standards like germination, purity, moisture, duplication and misbranding of popular varieties, selling expired seeds by replacing, selling grains as seeds etc.,

Further, there are certain reports that herbicide tolerant (H.T) cotton known as B.G III which are not approved by the Central government for cultivation and banned under the Environmental Protection Act-1986 are being sold illegally.

To control spurious seeds, Telangana government has formed a Joint Task Force at the district and unit level with components from the police department, agriculture and seeds corporation. Duty of the task force is to control spurious seeds and unapproved H.T. seeds.

Cases are being booked under Seeds Act, 1966, Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, Environmental Protection Act-1986, Essential Commodities Act and relevant provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and BNS for the offences - sale of substandard seeds from any crop having less genetic purity, less physical purity, less germination, sale of date expired seeds, sale of seeds without license, sale of seeds by companies and dealers with incorrect labelling.

Cases will also be booked for sale of loose seeds, torn out containers in case of cotton seeds, sale of seeds by fly by night business operators, storing or offering to sell illegal HT cotton seeds and diversion of subsidy seed for other purposes.

For all these offences, cases are being booked under different Sections having punishment up to seven years or more. In Telangana, spurious seed offenders are being booked under Preventive Detention Act. In Telangana, there is zero tolerance policy towards spurious seeds as these spurious seed offenders are playing with the lives of innocent farmers.

Sometimes, because of lack of crop production due to spurious seeds, farmers are taking extreme steps for which, the spurious seed offenders are very much responsible. Along with the Preventive Detention Act, seizure of properties used for manufacture, sale and store of spurious seeds is being done by taking orders under Section 152(1)(b) of BNSS from Tahsildar as a deterrence measure in Telangana.