MP urges Centre to supply urea on schedule

Bhopal, Dec 16: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged the Centre to ensure timely and targeted supply of urea to the state for the current rabi season.

In separate letters to Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ramvilas Paswan seeking their personal intervention to help the state to tide over the shortage of urea, Mr Chouhan said urea arrival in the state, which had slowed down to one or two rakes per day, should be raised to at least four rakes every day for the rest of December to meet the demand of farmers.

He reminded Mr Paswan that the issue now was timely supply of state's targeted volume of urea. Against the current month's supply target of 2.50 lakh tonnes of urea, the state received one lakh tonnes upto December 12. It would require at least four rakes (each of 2400 tonnes) every day for the rest of the month.

While the Chemicals and Fertilisers Ministry had assured the state government that efforts would be made to ensure that the targeted volume was delivered on time, current rake arrivals average was only one or two per day and will have to be doubled in the next few days to achieve the target, Mr Chouhan said.

In his letter to Mr Prasad, the Chief Minister said fertiliser companies had reported some constraints in indenting railway rakes for destinations in Madhya Pradesh. He urged Mr Yadav to personally intervene and direct the authorities concerned to fully respond to the indents placed by various fertiliser manufacturers for the state and enable it to extend timely support to the farmers.

UNI