District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Jhang, Asad Islam Mahni has taken serious notice of the discriminative policy of the officials of agriculture department in the supply of fertilisers. The DO and DDO Agri (Ext), instead of providing fertilisers to all growers, equally on government fixed rates, obliged the favourite ones by providing thousands of fertiliser bags on cheap rates.
Asad Islam Mahni was also told that the DDO had also received Rs 2,500 from some fertiliser dealers for the cause of charity for Red Crescent without informing the DCO who is also the chairman of Red Crescent, Jhang. The DCO asked the DDO Agriculture Yousuf to explain his position who confessed that on the direction of DOR, he had collected the charity money and handed over to the administrator of Red Crescent Hospital.
The DCO has now assigned the task to Deputy District Officer-Revenue (DDO-R) Haroon Rasheed to monitor and ensure the supply of fertilisers to the small growers at government rates as desired by the Punjab chief minister. He also directed the DDO-R that no official would be allowed to get huge quantity of fertilisers for selling purposes with the convenience of agriculture department staff.
The DCO has also informed the secretary Punjab agriculture department of the whole situation. Talking to media persons, DCO Asad Mahni said that he had chalked out a plan to give relief to the general public. Moreover, he directed the XEN public health engineering department and TO planning of TMA to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to improve the sanitation system in the city.