MULTAN   -    The district administration has ar­rested five persons and sealed vari­ous shops during a special crack­down against the dealers involved in selling fake pesticides and fertilizers across the district here on Sunday.

In line with special directives of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Omar Jehangir, the joint teams of district administration and agriculture de­partment launched a comprehen­sive crackdown against the dealers selling fake pesticides and fertil­izers. The teams raided Jalalpur Pirwala, Shujabad and Multan City and arrested five dealers while various shops were also sealed over violations. 

The teams also registered sepa­rate cases against seven dealers in­volved in the illegal practices.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Omar Jehangir said in a statement that the district administration was striv­ing hard to ensure the availability of good quality pesticides and fer­tilizers to farmers. He said that the district administration was tighten­ing the noose around the dealers in­volved in selling fake pesticides and fertilizers. 

Jehangir said that a special task had been given to the agriculture department for checking of record of fertilizer and pesticide dealers.

He said that the dealers had de­stroyed the agriculture through illegal practices of selling fake pes­ticides, adding special inspection teams had also been formed to en­sure the availability of fertilizer at controlled rates.

HIGHWAYS DEPT COMPLETES ROAD PROJECT IN RECORD SIX MONTHS

XEN Highways Multan Ghulam Nabi has said that the department had completed a road project from Basti Malook to Shujabad in record six months to provide facilities to the masses.

In a statement on Sunday, the XEN Highways said that the 17-kilometer long and 20-feet wide road project was to be completed in one and a half years but the department had com­pleted the project in six months, “sav­ing public tax money and time”. He said that the project had been com­pleted with funds of Rs. 300 million.

Nabi said that Commissioner Multan Division Engineer Amir Khattak had directed to complete road projects and other develop­ment schemes of infrastructure at the earliest. He also assured that he himself was monitoring the devel­opment schemes. 

The XEN Highways said that com­prehensive cooperation was being offered by the commissioner’s of­fice for the early completion of all development projects.