MAHYCO office ransacked

Kolkata, May 21 (UNI) The office of the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited(MAHYCO) in south Kolkata was today ransacked by a group of people alleging that the company was doing trials for insect-tolerant crops in West Bengal.

A company release issued here tonight said the group of people, equipped with cameras, attacked the office this noon and destroyed computers and furnitures worth Rs four lakhs.

There were reports in a section of the media over the past few days that trials of insect-tolerant crops were being conducted in MAHYCO office.

Denying the reports, MAHYCO Managing Director Raju Barwala said '' The only trials that MAHYCO is currently engaged in are of regular hybrids of paddy and of bhindi (okra) which have nothing to do with genetically improved crops.'' ''These trials are part of regular research carried out to develop newer hybrids and test their efficacy,'' Mr Barwala observed.

UNI