Patiala MC to hold loan mela for dairy farmers

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 28

After having failed to complete the city’s key dairy shifting project to a new site at Ablowal village, the Municipal Corporation (MC) now plans to hold a loan mela to help farmers relocate their businesses. The dairy farmers have been demanding bank loans for shifting of their dairies for long.

The dairy shifting project has been pending since September 30 last year. While road and other works, part of the first phase for the project, were completed before the due date, the MC has failed to complete works related to an overhead water reservoir and setting up of an effluent treatment plant (ETP), which are still going on.

In fact, MC Mayor Sanjeev Kumar Sharma along with other leaders of the BJP had recently approached the Commissioner’s office demanding completion of the dairy shifting project at the earliest.

Insiders say a number of dairy farmers had agreed to shift to the new site. “Talks were held with them. Two dairy farmers have already started shifting to the new site,” said a source.

MC Commissioner Aaditya Uppal said the corporation, on the demand of the dairy farmers, would hold a loan mela on the corporation premises.

“The farmers were finding it hard to get loans for setting up of businesses and sheds at the new site and thus approached us. We held talks with bank officials concerned to provide loans. The farmers will seek small loans from banks to run their businesses, while we will only act as facilitators. The loan mela will be held in the coming week,” he said.

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