Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Thursday sought response from the state govt on allegations of urea shortage and problems faced by farmers in using the fertiliser booking app introduced for distribution of the fertiliser. Hearing a public interest litigation, a bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin directed the govt to place its stand on record. “File a detailed counter more specially due to the larger concerns in view of the Gulf war and the concerns raised by the farmers,” the bench said. The PIL was filed by Chinthareddy Srinivasa Reddy, a farmer and BRS leader, along with four other farmers from Nalgonda district. The petitioners alleged that an acute shortage of urea was threatening crop yields this season and could impact the broader food supply. Govt fails to act: PetitionerDespite repeated appeals, formal representations, protests and demands raised through social, print and electronic media, the govt had failed to act, alleged Srinivasa Reddy, a former president of Rythu Bandhu Samithi, Nalgonda. Arguing for the petitioners, counsel Pasam Ravinder Reddy said the current app-based urea delivery system was flawed and inefficient. “This delay is resulting in more damage because the crop requires precise timing for urea application, and missing these windows can lead to permanent crop damage and a significant drop in harvest quality,” the petitioners claimed. A fall in crop yields, Ravinder said, could lead to shortages of food grains and other agricultural produce, push up prices and affect food security.The state govt rejected the allegations and told the court that arrangements had been made to ensure uninterrupted urea supply. It also said volunteers had been deployed at distribution centres to assist farmers. Counter in 4 weeksWhen the bench asked how farmers without smartphones or digital literacy would access the app, the state said they could use phones of family members or relatives and seek help from volunteers at centres for booking urea. The bench then told the state, “Answer all of their (farmers) queries. File counters positively in four weeks. More than their concerns, explain how you are actually dealing with the situation.”The govt had launched the fertiliser booking app in Dec 2025 for procuring urea.
