Goras Bhandar Sealed; Milk Farmers Protest In Wardha

Wardha: Hundreds of milk producers staged protest at the district collectorate in Wardha after milk collection was halted following action by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against Gosanvardhan Goras Bhandar, a historic dairy cooperative founded in 1931 by Mahatma Gandhi, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, and Jamnalal Bajaj.The FDA carried out a surprise inspection at Goras Bhandar on Sunday and sealed the premises, citing unhygienic conditions. Authorities also imposed ban on milk collection, sale, and dairy product manufacturing until further orders.Goras Bhandar collects and distributes nearly 9,000 litres of milk daily from around 800 cattle rearers across 15 villages. Several milk producers have been supplying milk to the institution for three to four generations and depend on it for their livelihood.Apart from milk distribution through home delivery and 11 centres, the institution also manufactures other dairy products. Over the years, it has earned trust of consumers while providing a market for milk producers.The action has created a crisis for nearly 800 families, with producers claiming their source of income has been disrupted. They demanded while production of dairy products may remain suspended, milk collection, distribution should be allowed to continue.Representatives of Goras Bhandar and milk producers submitted their demand to district collector Vanmathi C. They said the closure has affected livelihoods of hundreds of families.Meanwhile, Vanmathi C assured the producers that milk from all suppliers associated with Goras Bhandar would be collected and arrangements had been made to send it to Mother Dairy so that it does not go to waste. She said the administration would examine possibility of distributing the milk through centres in the city.