Union threatens to suspend milk delivery
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 15 2013 :
Demanding reconstitution of the Board of Administrators of Central Dairy Farm, Porompat with the inclusion of 'genuine' dairy farmers as members within 10 days, Manipur Milk Producer Cooperative union Limited has threatened to suspend delivery of milk in case its demand is not honoured.
The Union also proposed to the Government of Manipur that Managing Director of the Plant be appointed from amongst qualified officials of the State's Veterinary Department, on deputation basis.
Speaking to newspersons at Manipur Press Club today, union functionary Tongbram Raghu stated that term of Board members namely Dhananjoy Thingomba, Keithellakpam Nabakanta Singh, Soibam Suren Singh, Yumnam Rajen Singh and Sanasam lala Singh have been repeatedly extended for the past four years/terms.
Strongly opposing repeated term extension of the same set of individuals with the latest extension effected on March 13 as per an order issued by the Under Secretary (Cooperative Department), Raghu insisted that Government conduct election to facilitate milk farmers chose their representatives in the Board for the two year term of office.
Alleging collusion between the present Board members and officials of department concerned for the five continuing in office, he contended that repeated term extension is violative of prescribed rules that entails conducting elections every two years.
Informing that there are 236 milk farmers' societies in the State out of which 38 societies are directly involved in the distribution of milk on a daily basis, Raghu disclosed that 20 of the societies have already decided to cease service in case Government of Manipur do not consider and implement the Union's demands within 10 days.
accusing the Board members of not convening annual general body meeting to discuss account statements during their tenure from March 15, 2007 to March 14, 2013, Raghu claimed that an AGBM convened on January 30 this year was against the stay order of Manipur Cooperative Tribunal Court.
Further contending that the Statement of Accounts audited recently by the registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) for the preceding five years was manipulated thereby indicating misappropriation, he regretted that inspite detecting financial irregularities of the Milk Union the RCS had not initiated action against the Board and Managing Director S Shantikumar.
Moreover, Shantikumar, a former Dairy Engineer as well as in-charge Deputy Director (Dairy) of the Central Dairy Plant (Veterinary Department), was suspended from service on February 16, 2013 and as such he do not deserve re-appointment, maintained Raghu while disclosing that Shantikumar is only a one year diploma holder in Dairy Engineer and supposed to retire from service on February 28, 2013 .
Questioning on what ground the Board appointed a person (Shantikumar) without requisite technical qualification as the Managing Director against whom a departmental enquiry is also under process, the Union representative opined that retaining the five as the Board members amounts to encouraging the individuals to turn the Dairy into a private firm.
The Dairy Plant is managed by the Milk Union under terms and conditions of the MoU signed between the Union and the State Government under which appointment of outsiders/retired persons as the MD or senior executive is a violation.
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