IMPHAL, March 23: The Board of Administrators (BOAs) of the Manipur Milk Producers’ Co-operative Union Ltd (Milk Union), recently appointed by the State Government with Dhananjoy Thingomba as Chairman and 4 others as members are declining to accept Dr Ph Jilasana Sharma nominated by the government as the Managing Director (MD) of the Manipur Milk Union without proper reasons.
Objecting this in a press conference held at the Manipur Press Club today, S Kenedy, Distribution Officer-in-charge and spokesperson of Central Dairy Plant Employee’s Association said Dr Jilasana, Jt Dir Veterinary is a well qualified person with sufficient experiences of working as the MD as per the provisions of the existing bye-laws of the Manipur Milk Union. “The qualification of MD allows a good degree in Dairy technology/Food technology/Animal husbandry etc.
The nomination of MD by the state government Secretariat Veterinary to the Milk Union has been a convention.
The MD of the Manipur Milk Union has to come only from the Veterinary Dept since the Milk Union is not in a sound financial position to appoint an independent MD at present,” he added.
He continued that the BOAs are misusing the powers and functions to allow Sapam Shantikumar Singh, Ex-Dairy Engineer of the Veterinary Dept to continue as the MD even after his retirement from service on February 28, 2013. He is a mere Diploma holder in Dairy Engineering, over aged and a Departmental enquiry is also being taken up against him by the government after having placed him under suspension on February 16, 2013. There is no reason to keep him as MD as per the bye-laws, S Kenedy alleged.
As per the MoU between the state government and the Manipur Milk Union, the Central Dairy Plant has been leased out to the Manipur Milk Union for the period up to April 2015. The purpose of the MOU is to implement the Intensive Dairy Project efficiently with the involvement of the technical staff of the Dairy, Kenedy added.
He then said the BOAs and the self styled MD are running the Dairy like a private business by playing `Divide and Rule policy` among the technical staff of the Dairy Plant and dairy farmers. Only one or two technical staff is utilized in the working of the Dairy while the majority are kept aside without assigning works, he said and added thus the dairy is working like private Dairy.
The dairy farmers are misguided and the dairy co-operative societies are still not promoted in ideal way of functioning on the guidelines of the project.
Kenedy claimed that the Dairy is handling milk on a level which is much less than the expected quantity. In spite of investing the huge funds of IDDP, the Plant cannot so far run above the level of break even stage, he said. Pointing out that the affairs of the Dairy are being mismanaged in several aspects, he further said that black marketing of pasteurized milk was being encouraged as can be seen from many milk vendors selling pasteurized milk packets of the Dairy at a higher price than the rate approved by the Dairy, he said.
Kenedy lamented that under the present unfortunate circumstances, the profession of dairying will become abolished and that the very purpose of Dairy development programs will go waste.
The Central Dairy Plant Employee’s Association further appealed to the concerned authorities to look in to the matter and take immediate action to solve the crisis by allowing Dr Jilasana Sharma to work as the MD and lead the organization in the right way.