ANINI, 11 Mar: Alleging mismanagement involving the procurement of nearly 1 lakh exotic horticulture planting materials worth about Rs.13 crore imported during 2023-24 under the Atma Nirbhar Plantation Yojna by the directorate of horticulture, the Kiwi Growers Association (KGA) of Anini in Dibang Valley district, in a representation to the chief secretary on Wednesday, demanded an independent and impartial investigation into the entire procurement and distribution process of walnut saplings.
Claiming that thousands of imported walnut saplings from Turkey are lying abandoned and completely dried up at a departmental farm in Tawang since mid-2024, Rezina Mihu, on behalf of KGA, said the ongoing departmental inquiry may not be fair and transparent.
While the department has constituted a departmental inquiry headed by an under secretary (horticulture) along with two deputy directors, the association expressed apprehension regarding its impartiality.
“The secretary (horticulture), who approved the central procurement of the imported planting materials, committed serious negligence by allowing such a large procurement to proceed without a clear implementation plan or coordination with the districts,” the representation said.
“District officers have stated that they were not involved in the procurement process and were not provided with any official implementation plan or advance instructions for field preparation prior to the arrival of the plants. Some officers even refused to receive the consignments due to the absence of proper documentation,” the representation claimed and alleged that during 2024, farmers in Anini were supplied imported kiwi saplings in dry and poor condition.
KGA appealed to the CS to order an independent and impartial inquiry by an authority outside the horticulture department so that the facts are established transparently and accountability is fixed.
