Pune: Farmers started a movement on Tuesday in Sangli and Kolhapur districts of western Maharashtra to raise their various demands, including increasing the purchase price of milk. The agitators, along with members of the Swabhimani Shetkari organization led by Raju Shetty, stopped the milk tankers and evacuated them on the Pune-Bangalore highway. More agitation of this state-wide movement was seen in Western Maharashtra. During this movement, millions of liters of milk were wasted on the roads today.
Demand for increase of Rs 5 per liter
Raju Shetty told the media that they are demanding an increase in the prices of milk procurement by five rupees per liter and its benefits can be directly transferred to the accounts of milk producers. We are also demanding an export subsidy of Rs 30 for milk producers and the cancellation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on milk products. Shetty also demanded the cancellation of the Center’s decision to import 10,000 tons of milk powder. He said that milk business in the state is being affected due to this scheme of the Central Government.
State wide movement warning from 1 August
Here, BJP’s Pune unit president Jagdish Mullick said that if the demand of milk producers is not met, he will start a statewide agitation from August 1. BJP leaders in Pune also submitted a memorandum of their demands to District Magistrate Naval Kishore Ram on Monday. However, the agitation of farmers continued throughout the state today. Workers of the Swabhimani Shetkari organization stopped milk tanker and milked its driver at Wathar near Karad in Satara district. The Karad police took the agitators into custody.
Tanker damaged
In the backdrop of the farmers’ agitation, strict police arrangements were deployed at various places on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway in Satara district. The tanker of Rajaram Bapu Dudh Sangh, which is going towards Mumbai on the Mumbai highway from the early morning, also burst the tanker. Slogans were raised against the government by milking the worker of the Swabhimani Shetkari organization in Deolgaon, Daund, Pune district. Transportation of milk tankers was stopped by burning tires on the Akluj-Indapur road in Malshiras taluka.
