115 dairy owners told to vacate cantonment land in 45 days

MEERUT: The Meerut Cantonment Board (MCB) has asked dairy owners to vacate the premises within 45 days permanently saying the dairies are a major source of garbage in the area. The Cantonment Dairy Association has decided to move court against this decision.
The Meerut Cantonment Board has declined to comment on the matter.
The move has taken by surprise the 115 dairy owners who have dairies in four parts of the Cantonment area.They suddenly find themselves facing eminent closure of their business and loss of livelihood. An estimated 6,000 to 7,000 people work in these dairies located in Sadar Bazar, Regiment Bazar, Top Khana and Lal Kurti.
“They called us to their office on Monday and told us to just move from the dairies. They said the cantonment area needs to be cleared of all filth. Whereas we do not leave any filth on the roads or anywhere. We are very careful that we do not dump cow dung or any other waste from the dairies anywhere on the streets. Yet the cantonment board has told us to go. They have given us 45 days,” said Aryind Yadav, president of the Cantonment Dairy Association.
The dairy association has also said that they will now approach the courts for justice. “We will not back down. This is our livelihood. Our homes will be destroyed if our dairies are shut down. There are 115 dairies which all of a sudden have been told to shut down. Families depend on this for their income. We will approach the court for justice,” said Yadav.
TOI has learned that the dairy farmers have been operating in the area since 1915. They do not have any lease or documents to claim ownership of the land on which they run their dairies.