Officials have seized chemical fertiliser worth Rs four million from a godown owned by Hetauda-based businessman Gyanendra Shrestha at Basamadi VDC-5 of Makwanpur district on Friday, reports said.

Chemical fertilizer imported ?illegally? from India after it was seized by officials in Makwanpur district on Friday (Photo courtesy: Pratap Bista/Kantipur)

Chemical fertilizer imported ‘illegally’ from India after it was seized by officials in Makwanpur district on Friday (Photo courtesy: Pratap Bista/Kantipur)
A team of officials from the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) deployed from Kathmandu captured the fertiliser from the store of Shrestha with the help of officials from the District Revenue Office at Pathalaiya, according to Kantipur daily. The fertiliser is said to have been imported illegally from India without paying revenue. The seized fertilizer has been shifted to the store house of the state-owned National Trading Ltd. in Birgunj, the news report said.

The investigation team also seized 2,600 packs of Potash and Urea from the store. The officials involved in the investigation said that the fertilizer was transported to Nepal from Bara and Rautahat border check points. This is the second time that such a large amount of fertilizer imported illegally has been captured from the godown of Shrestha by the revenue office at Pathalaiya, according to reports.

Shrestha claimed that the sized fertilizer was not imported by him. He further said he had rented his godown out to another person.

Illegal import of fertilizer is taking place in Nepal for the last several years allegedly under the patronage of senior leaders and government officials, the news report claimed.

Meanwhile, himalkhabar.com, a news portal of Himal khabarpatrika, has reported that some 2,400 sacks of fertilser has “disappeared” from the godown even when it was under the government’s control. The news portal quoted sources as saying that the revenue officials had recovered around 5,000 sacks of fertiliser during the raid but later they told reporters that only 2,600 sacks were recovered.

The officials had earlier sealed the godown after people affiliated to Shrestha and company refused them to shift the fertiliser to Birgunj.

Saturday being a public holiday, officials in Kathmandu could not be reached for comments.