Government asks cattle owners for details of suppliers from Maharashtra, assures unhindered transport of feed
The cattle owners have stock left for about a week
Taking a serious note of mid-day's report about the plight of cattle farm owners in Aarey Milk Colony, who are unable to get food for their cattle amid the Coronavirus lockdown, minister Aaditya Thackeray instructed authorities to make sure that cattle feed reaches the location.
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Sources from the animal husbandry department said, "Post the cattle feed article in mid-day, Aaditya Thackeray's office instructed us to ensure that cattle farm owners in Aarey Milk Colony get assistance in the transportation of cattle feed to Aarey from their suppliers in Maharashtra."
Feroz Patel, Chairman of Aarey Colony Milk Producers Association said, "The regional joint commissioner, animal husbandry department of Maharashtra assured us that we can order the cattle feed from our suppliers." The Association has provided names of the cattle feed suppliers from various districts to the government.
"We are hopeful that the government will coordinate with local police in districts mentioned by us and allow suppliers to load trucks and let them reach Aarey through the district borders," Patel said.
Pune's Animal Husbandry Department also wrote to the Association on March 31 asking that the authorities be given the details of cattle feed suppliers along with vehicle numbers, drivers' names, mobile number, license details. The details would be forwarded to various districts from where fodder ordered. The information would also be sent to the assistant commissioners of the Animal Husbandry Department, and other senior officials in Mumbai city, suburbs, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Nashik, Kolhapur and Pune. mid-day, in its report, had highlighted that the over 17,000 cattle that provide 1.25 lakh litres of milk to the city on a daily basis from Aarey Milk Colony, could starve as fodder from other states has not arrived for them due to the lockdown.
The fodder comes from the interiors of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana and Karnataka.
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