The Himachal Pradesh high court has issued notice to the state government on the issue of failure of Poly-house policy of the government and loss suffered by farmers due to the same. A division bench of Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice VK Ahuja issued notice to the secretary horticulture and directed them to file reply.
Petitioner Inder Singh of Bilaspur district has approached the court alleging that the state government without having conducted any scientific study of the climate of the area had encouraged the petitioner and other farmers to install poly house and grow carnation flowers and colored capsicum. Petitioner stated that temperature in district Bilaspur goes up to 43 degree centigrade and in such hot environment poly house without having any cooling facilities cannot operate. He also alleged that the government neither appointed any expert to train the farmers nor established any mechanism for regular monitoring of the poly houses.
Petitioner submitted that he feared a scam on the issue as private companies engaged in the scheme established poly houses in 1000 sq meters whereas the space required is only of 550 meters. He alleged that state government has acted against the advice of the agriculture university which suggested that ordinary poly house cannot work in hot weather conditions of Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur district. Petitioner added that no marketing facility was provided by the state after giving various false promises to the farmers. He stated that this scheme has only benefited the private companies which were contracted for providing and establishing the poly house.
