Tribune Impact: Twice-relocated dairy farmers oppose fresh shifting move in Amritsar

After the publication of the news item, “Amritsar’s first planned dairy complex a saga of curdled promises” in these columns, the Amritsar district administration has invited dairy farmers for a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Dalvinder Singh at his office on February 18.

Ahead of the crucial meeting with the DC, dairy farmers of ‘Dairy Complex 65 Qila’, located in the Fatahpur area, held a meeting here on Sunday.

A dairy farmer, Amrik Singh, informed that an 11-member delegation of dairy farmers will attend the meeting with the DC to present their point of view. He said the dairy farmers were twice evicted from different parts of the city and relocated to the Dairy Complex. Now, the Local Government Department again wants to shift them from certain areas to the complex.

He said they support the government’s plan to develop the complex into a hub of milk production in the city, but at the same time, facilities must be commensurate with the number of livestock.

He pointed out that the plots earmarked for green parks in the complex are in a dismal state and require immediate cleaning. Adequate toilet facilities, proper roads equipped with streetlights, round-the-clock surveillance, and security to prevent livestock theft are also needed. All three tube wells have been lying dysfunctional for a long time and need to be repaired, they added.

Among other demands, the dairy farmers will raise the issue of recovering the cost of plots at the original price and waiving the entire interest, said Baljinder Singh, a dairy farmers’ leader associated with BKU Ekta Sidhupur.