Cooling Crisis: Himachal's Milk Management Misstep

In Himachal Pradesh, a technical issue at a milk chilling plant led to milk spoilage, causing losses for local producers. The state will now entrust local milk producers with managing milk coolers and offer commissions. This effort aims to prevent future incidents and increase cooler capacities.

A technical glitch at a milk chilling facility in Himachal Pradesh resulted in the spoilage of thousands of liters of milk, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced at the state Assembly on Tuesday. The government plans to engage local producers to manage bulk milk coolers with commission incentives.

BJP MLA from Ani, Lokendra Kumar, highlighted the mishap in his constituency. Initially reported as a technical fault, Agriculture Minister Chandra Kumar revealed that the spoilage was due to voltage issues from a single electricity line, leading to milk degradation. The cooperative society secretary responsible for discarding the milk without authorization received a notice.

State officials have been urged to ensure the proper maintenance of milk cooling facilities to avert similar occurrences. In response to the incident, the government emphasized the need to boost cooler capacities, as 221 producers suffered losses of Rs 77,000 due to the spoilage.

(With inputs from agencies.)