Karnal, July 23 -- Amid the ongoing paddy season, a severe shortage of DAP and urea fertilisers has left Haryana farmers distressed, prompting a protest in Karnal on Tuesday where farmers blocked a major road outside the agriculture department's office. The protest, led by several farmers and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Tikait) activists, disrupted traffic for nearly an hour. The blockade was lifted after protestors agreed to meet deputy director of agriculture (DDA) Wazir Singh. SHO Civil Lines Shri Bhagwan Yadav said the farmers dispersed after officials assured them that fertiliser availability would improve within three days. The blockade caused major inconvenience to commuters as the road connects the old bus stand and Kaithal to National Highway-44. BKU (Tikait) state president Rattan Mann said, "If the department claims to have complete data on farmers, why can't it ensure timely fertiliser supply? If there is no shortage, where is the stock? Why are farmers not getting it?" Progressive farmer Satpal Kaushik from Yamunanagar said that the fertiliser crisis will harm crop yield. "Farmers struggled to get DAP during transplantation, and now urea is also scarce." While DDA Karnal was unavailable for comment, Yamunanagar's DDA Aditya Pratap Dabbas said paddy was sown on time in his region. He added that 85% of urea demand has already been met. Meanwhile, Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda criticised the state government, saying, "The government claims there's no shortage, yet farmers are suffering. At some places, fertilisers are distributed through police stations; at others, they're sold on the black market at high prices." Hooda alleged that the state is enabling black marketing under the guise of scarcity and demanded immediate action to ensure fair and adequate fertiliser distribution. Haryana agriculture and farmers' welfare minister Shyam Singh Rana on Tuesday said that first information reports (FIRs) will be registered against "private licenced dealers" involved in the "illegal" sale of urea and DAP. The minister warned that licences will also be cancelled of those found guilty during inspections. He also cautioned agriculture department officers that if anyone is found complicit in facilitating illegal sales of urea and DAP, strict action will be taken against them as well. Nine factions of the farmer-labour union, earlier part of the Charuni group, on Tuesday said that they have joined hands to form Haryana Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Morcha (HKMSM) and will hold a protest on August 8. The head or representatives of the factions held a meeting at Dera Kar Seva Gurdwara in Karnal and also decided that on August 8, protests will be held at the district secretariats across the state....