The Rajasthan Government has withdrawn its ‘no objection certificate' (NOC) given for conducting transgenic mustard field trial at an advanced stage.

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has found fault with it for doing such a thing. The Department of Agriculture in Rajasthan have given the NOC for holding trials at three locations. But towards the end of the second season trial, the Government directed the research team to terminate them.

At a recent meeting, the GEAC took serious objection to the withdrawal. “Once permission to carry out experiments has been granted, we should not withdraw it arbitrarily,” the GEAC observed.

Concerns

The Rajasthan Government wrote to the research team saying that the matter for permitting trials of transgenic crops had indeed brought with concerns as no unanimity had been arrived at, either in favour or against. “We have taken a view to wait until a national consensus is evolved (on the issue),” it said, while withdrawing the NOC.

Replying to queries in an e-mail, Dr Deepak Pental of Delhi University, termed that the Rajasthan Government decision was a knee-jerk reaction. “What instigated this anti-science decision is not known to us. While the GEAC has recorded its concerns, the body should be more proactive. If agriculture is a State subject, why do we have GEAC at the central level,” he asked.

The team could complete the trials at Kumher and Navgaon and data have been received. “We were given a few days, not through taking the order back but just as act of generosity as the trials were near maturity,” he said.

Sri Ganganagar trial was burnt 4-5 days before the crop was to mature. “It was waste of public resources as the Centre funded bio-safety trials and the research,” he said.

kurmanath@thehindu.co.in

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