Hailing the promulgation of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 as a significant move, the Minister for Horticulture Syed Basharat Bukhari today said the ordinance having the provision of booking people found involved in sale and supply of spurious pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers under PSA, will act as a major deterrent against such malpractices which are detrimental for the state's agriculture and horticulture sectors.The Minister said that selling, transporting, stocking, supplying, keeping and distributing misbranded, spurious and banned insecticides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers in the State would be punishable offence under Section 8, Act VI of J&K Public Safety Act, 1978 in sub section 1-A after clause A-1 insertion as A 2.He said that on the initiative of the Horticulture Department, the state cabinet in August this year had approved that abetting, engaging or dealing with sale, transportation, stocking, supplying, keeping and distribution of misbranded, spurious, banned insecticides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers in the State would be punishable under PSA and the offender would be sent to 12-months custody from the date of detention under Section 18 of the Amendment Act VI of J&K Public Safety Act of 1978.Bukhari said the decision had been taken considering that the sale of such insecticides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers was not only ruining the horticulture and the agriculture sector in the State but also damaging the economy and hitting the public health as these are carcinogenic in nature.The Minister said the government has undertaken a holistic programme for ensuring the equitable and sustainable development of horticulture sector in the state.Bukhari said that the Horticulture Department is taking measure to draw forward-looking roadmaps through perspective planning for improving quality and production of Horticulture crops by integrated implementation of viable, eco-friendly, validated and refined technologies, besides preparing a visionary document in the form of a Horticulture Policy for next 25-30 years.