Dehli HC notice to Central Govt. for insecticide importing

The India Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Central Government and the Central Insecticides Board for permitting a Gujarat-based chemical company, Meghmani Organics to illegally import from China the insecticide - emamectin benzoate - with lesser purity.

The notice was issued on July 10th, on a written petition filed by the MGR Industries Association which had earlier written to the Union Agriculture Ministry informing them about the irregularities being carried out by government officials in order to provide undue favours to the chemical company.

The registration committee in its 328th meeting held on May 2, 2012, decided that the source of import and the purity of the product imported by M/s Meghmani Organics Ltd, Ahmedabad should be verified from ICAMA through Designated Nodal Authority (DNA) China, DNA India and put up to RC for consideration again.

On June 8, in its next meeting, the committee granted permission for the import on basis of an "affidavit" by the importing company raising suspicion over the hurried decision on such a critical issue.

The petition mentions how Ariculture Ministry officials decided to issue a Certificate of Registration to Meghmani Organics, with 95 percent purity for the product (emamectin benzoate), when actually the company was importing the same product with a purity of 90 percent from China.