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Imphal, March 15: Milk consumers in Manipur will have to pay Rs 4 more per litre if the member societies carry out their threat to stop supply to the Manipur Milk Producers Co-operative Union Ltd.
The union, with 236 member societies, supplies about 3,000 litres daily. It sells milk at Rs 36 per litre while private producers sell at Rs 40 per litre, which means buyers will have to pay Rs 4 extra if the union stops supply.
Brojen Sinam, a spokesman for the member societies, today threatened to stop milk supply to the union if the government failed to reconstitute the fresh board of administrators.
The co-operative department on March 13 ordered forming a five-member board of administrators for a period of six months and holding election of the union within the six months period of the board.
The member societies are objecting to the new board of administrators.
The term of board of directors is three years and the board headed by Dhananjoy Thingomba expired in 2011. Instead of holding the election, the government extended the term of the board twice and it expired on March 14.
“We will welcome a board of administrators if the members of the expired board of directors are replaced by new members,” Sinam said.
He said the board of directors headed by Thingomba had failed to convene any general body meeting to discuss account statements during their tenure from March 15, 2007, till yesterday.
He said the board of directors committed several “financial irregularities” and the authorities of the cooperative department failed to take any action.
The member societies also demanded appointment of a managing director from the state veterinary department immediately to replace the existing managing director, Shantikumar Singh, appointed by the new board of administrators.
“We will submit a memorandum to co-operative minister A.K. Mirabaiin the next few days. If our demand is not met, we will stop supplying milk to the union,” Sinam said.
“We don’t want the buyers to suffer but we will not change our stand until a fresh board of administrators is appointed and elections are held before the expiry of the term of the fresh board of administrators,” he added.
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