Survey to shift dairies out of Ambala Sadar concludes

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, May 28

The ambitious project of shifting dairies out of residential areas of Ambala Sadar Zone to Brahmin Majra village where a dairy complex is proposed is yet to see the light of day.

The next step

A survey regarding the dairies being run has been conducted and the demarcation of land is to be done. After preparing a layout plan and estimate, the proposal will be sent to the govt for further process. Ravinder Singh, Executive officer, Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar

Hundreds of dairies in ‘gawal mandis’ are being run in residential areas at different locations in Ambala Sadar zone. The British had established the ‘gawal mandis’ to fulfil their requirement for milk.

Cow dung is dumped in the open and in ‘nullahs’. Besides, a number of dairy owners also leave their cattle on the roads causing inconvenience to commuters and resulting in poor sanitary conditions.

In 2003, the then Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala, had told the district administration to shift out all dairies from residential areas. The local administration had identified and proposed different locations, but the project never took off.

In 2021, the Municipal Council had proposed some land at Brahmin Majra village and the government had also given its nod to the proposal of shifting the dairies to the village. A dairy complex having a capacity to keep over 5,000 animals will be established on 21-acre land.

Under the dairy complex project, the dairy owners will get the facility of a veterinary hospital, a rest house, dry fodder store and a pond for cattle at the dairy complex.

However, the project is still in its early stage and the residents have to wait for the shifting of the dairies from the residential areas.

Onkarnath, a local resident, said, “Shifting of dairies from the residential areas has been a long-pending demand. When the ‘gawal mandis’ were established by the British, these were out of the city limits, but with time, the population increased. Now, the same dairies are in residential areas. A number of dairy owners leave their cattle on the roads, especially in the cantonment area for grazing and they become a cause for accidents. The administration should expedite the project of shifting those out.”

Executive Officer, Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, Ravinder Singh said, “A survey regarding the dairies being run has been conducted and the demarcation of land is to be done. After preparing a layout plan and estimate, the proposal will be sent to the government for further process.”

Additional Deputy Commissioner and Administrator, Municipal Council, Sadar, Sachin Gupta said, “It is an ambitious project and we are working on the land management part of the project so that maximum dairies could be shifted to the identified land. The shifting of dairies at the complex will be beneficial for dairy owners too.”

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