Dairy News
Dairy shifting project to get nod soon, but issues persist
Sunday, 09/09/2018
http://thedairytimes.com/dairy-shifting-project-get-nod-soon-issues-persist/
Patiala, September 10, 2018: While the city’s Municipal Corporation (MC) is yet to receive final approval from the Department of Local Bodies for implementation of its dairy shifting project, a number of issues pertaining to the project remain unsolved. This includes the corporation’s inability to keep a track of number of cattle with dairy farmers, hygiene and sewerage problems.
An insider in the MC department said they would receive the final draft from the department.
The project has been in the doldrums since its announcement in 2003 at the time of then Mayor Vishnu Sharma. MC councillors had been allegedly a reason for the delay in the implementation of the project. The project once cleared during the regime of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the MC was mooted and the department decided to make amendments in the project after the authorities witnessed uproar from within the MC over finalised rates for allocation of land according to tribuneindia.com.
MC Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira said, “We are awaiting the final approval from the Department of Local Bodies. Once the project is approved, we will start the process of implementation, including tendering of the project with help of a policy for allocation of plots which is in the making.”
Khaira said: “The dairy farmers within the inner city will be provided land to deal with issues.” He said the corporation was working on various factors such as cost of land, number and identity of dairy farmers and sale of plots and their construction in the policy being drafted.
He said, “We have a room for accommodating about 2,500 cattle in the area. We will decide on allocation of plots according to the provisions.”
Problems created by dairies
The presence of around 130 dairies within the city limits is one of the main reasons for choking of sewers and water logging in various parts of the city. The dairy farmers do not clean cow dung and fodder, which flows into the sewerage system of the city, leading to diseases.
Unpleasant smell emanating from dumped cow dung adds to the woes of city residents. Road accidents involving cattle create havoc.
Farmers abandon their unproductive cattle on streets as their maintenance is unaffordable leading to road accidents.