PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 12 -- Licences of 14 of the 52 cold storages operating in Prayagraj are yet to be renewed, prompting the district administration to speed up the process, officials said on Tuesday. District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma directed cold storage owners to submit the required documents to the district horticulture officer at the earliest. He also made it mandatory for operators to submit daily details of potato stocks during the storage season. The directions came after a portion of a cold storage owned by former minister Ansar Ahmad collapsed in Chandapur on March 23, 2026, killing four people and injuring 12-14 others. Following the incident, the district magistrate ordered inspections of all cold storages in the district. District horticulture officer Mewa Ram said inspections of the remaining 14 cold storages had been completed, and the licence renewal process was underway. The DM also issued the directions during a meeting of the district-level implementation committee for various horticulture schemes, including the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission, Chief Minister's State Horticulture Development Scheme, Makhana Development Scheme and Per Drop More Crop micro-irrigation scheme, at the Sangam auditorium. He directed officials to achieve 100% of the targets under the horticulture schemes and explore increasing the 3,600-metre fencing target under the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission. Under the Makhana Development Scheme, officials have set a target of cultivating makhana through the pond method across 28 hectares. They also briefed the meeting on farmer eligibility, registration and selection procedures. The DM also directed the deputy director of agriculture to undertake wider publicity of the schemes to ensure more farmers benefit. He asked officials to prepare a plan for processing banana, ber and marigold, among other farm produce, into value-added products....