NIZAMABAD: Many fertiliser dealers are putting the lives of farmers in peril and posing a threat to ecological balance, by continuing to sell pesticides that were banned in Nizamabad district for the last few months.
The extent of illegal activity was found during raids carried out by Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) department in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts, recently.
The traders have been selling banned products like Celphos and Phorate 10g in the two districts. While the Centre banned Celphos long ago, the latter was banned last December. These two pesticides are being used to kill rats, bandicoots and pests in agriculture fields. There is a huge demand from the farmers for these pesticides and it is made available in select shops.
Celphos is categorised under restricted use norm for central warehousing godowns and other public undertakings. Under the supervision of experts, it can be used to kill rats and bandicoots, official sources said.
Meanwhile,…