By Apurva Bhatt
After shopkeepers from Thane stopped selling milk pouches from leading brands it is now turn for shops of Mumbai city and suburbs to replicate that. You might not get milk pouches of brands like Amul, Gokul, Mahanand, Warana and Mother Dairy in shops.
Over 200 stakeholders, including retailers, distributors, dairy companies and consumer activists, attended a meeting convened by the controller of legal metrology (weights and measures), Sanjay Pandey, at J J College of Architecture on Saturday morning but the meeting failed to end the stalemate.
Pandey, however, hopes to achieve a resolution to this vexed issue as early as May 31. Since 1995, retailers across Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai have been overcharging customers by Rs 2-3 per litre saying dairies do not pay them "adequate commission".
They claim dairies procure milk from farmers for a petty Rs 17-18.50 per litre while consumers are charged Rs 38-45.The department of weights and measures, in a welcome move, has also suggested that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit the cost of milk production in order to bring transparency to milk prices and determine maximum retail price (MRP).
Cooperative dairies, most of which are owned by leading politicians, are not too pleased at the idea.
"The CAG has earlier helped rationalize electricity tariffs and Metro fares. Similarly, if it ascertains the actual cost of milk production, it can determine MRP to ensure that consumer interest is not sacrificed to blatant profiteering.
Considering that 42 lakh litres of milk is consumed across the Mumbai region daily and retailers overcharge by Rs 2 at least, citizens are paying Rs 84 lakh extra daily," Pandey said. Retailers openly admitted to overcharging by up to Rs 4 per litre for home delivery, citing a litany of woes against "highhanded" dairy farms and distributors. Prakash Nayakal of the Mumbai District Retail Milk Vendors' Federation said, "The five big dairies give us a measly commission of Rs 1.3-1.45 per litre which does not even cover the cost of refrigeration. We are demanding a fixed 10% commission so that each time dairies raise the price of milk they give us a corresponding hike. We will sell other brands so that customers are not inconvenienced."
