Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes and Rohit Thakur, CPS in a joint statement issued here today welcomed the decision of Delhi High Court on commission in Azadpur Mandi and said that it was possible due to the continuous efforts of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who pursued the matter with Chief Ministers of Delhi.
They said the matter was discussed several times by Virbhadra Singh with Government of New Delhi at various levels and also in Chief Ministers Conference of all the States on 15th February, 1994 when P.V. Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister, where Virbhadra Singh said
“Since, I represent a State, where people are known for their honesty and simplicity, I want to bring to the kind notice of the Hon’ble Prime Minister and my counterpart here, that my Farmers and Horticulturalists are being charged with exorbitant illegal commission on sale of their produce by agents, which requires immediate curbing”.
During his tenure as Union Minister, Virbhadra Singh time and again had raised his voice pertaining to the interest of the farming community of the State, added they.
They said that the decision of the Delhi High Court was a welcome step as the Congress Government time and again pursued the case on war footing through the Himachal Pradesh State Agriculture Marketing Board during its last regime also.
They further emphasized that Virbhadra Singh was well aware of the issue of illegal commission being charged by the agents at Azadpur market and farming community being fleeced by them who charged illegal commissions @ (6+2) percent from them since long. As huge quantity of apples and vegetables from the State are sold through commission agents, the marginal farmers and growers had to suffer huge losses.
The Congress Government under the leadership of Virbhadra Singh was taking the issue with the Delhi Government since long with regard to enforcement of bye law- 49 (3) to the effect that though the commission shall be charged at the existing rate of six percent, but it shall be charged from the buyers and not from the farmers or the sellers, said they.
Congress leaders said that the decision has come at a right time and was a big relief to the Horticulturists and Farmers and the claims being made by the BJP leaders in media are politically motivated to derive political mileage out of the situation.
Earlier yesterday, former Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta has welcomed the decision of Delhi High Court and asked state government to implement it as soon as possible.
