CM Bommai urged to provide separate milk union for Uttara Kannada dist

Sirsi: Director of the Dharwad Milk Union Limited (DHAMUL) Sureshchandra Hegde Keshinmane said that the chief minister has been appealed to provide a separate milk union to the Uttara Kannada district, which has a huge dairy farming industry.

A delegation of office bearers of DHAMUL Sureshchandra Hegde Keshinmane, Shankara Hegde and Parameshwar Naik met Bommai along with president Shankara Mugad while attending the foundation stone laying ceremony of a new unit of the union in Haveri on Saturday.

They collectively sought help from the chief minister in the long-pending demand of a separate milk union for the Uttara Kannada district.

“There are more than 250 milk producers cooperative societies in the district. They worked even in times of distress like the COVID-19 pandemic. However, 80 per cent of societies lack their own buildings which interfere with the collection of quality milk using modern equipment. Additionally, without own buildings lack of security is also a problem. Hence the government should help in solving these problems,” they reportedly stated in their appeal.

The use of grants from MLAs and MLCs for the construction of new buildings of the societies has not been permitted so far. Demanding that this be allowed, the Keshinmane delegation also said that Yellapur, Mundgod, Sirsi and Siddhapur taluks of the district are hilly taluks, hence transportation of milk is difficult for the societies. So they requested that these taluks be declared as priority zones.

The delegation also urged to provide minimum wages and facilities under the purview of the Labour Department for executives working in the milk producers’ cooperative societies.

“The executives of the societies are working at less than Rs 100 per day and more than 6 hours daily. Information regarding incentives to milk producers must be provided to them,” the delegation had said.

“The CM has promised to respond to the problems of dairy farmers. Our main demand was for a separate union, permission for use of MLAs grants and assistance to executives,” said Keshinmane.