OMFED Milk Supply Disrupted in Twin Cities as Contractual Drivers Protest Colleague's Detention
Published By : Kalpit Mohanty
| December 24, 2024 11:55 AM
Bhubaneswar: Milk supply across the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar faced significant disruption on Tuesday as contractual drivers of the Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation (OMFED) launched a protest at the Naraj dairy plant.
The work stoppage began early Tuesday morning following the detention of a driver by Baranga police. According to plant authorities, the detained driver was accused of misappropriating over 100 liters of milk from his delivery van in recent days, leading to the filing of a police complaint.
Fellow drivers initiated a demonstration at the OMFED plant in response to their colleague's detention, affecting the regular distribution network across both cities. The protest has impacted thousands of households and businesses that rely on daily OMFED milk delivery.
Addressing the situation, OMFED Managing Director Vijay Amruta Kulange clarified that the plant operations remained unaffected. "The dairy plant is functioning normally. This disruption stems from a law enforcement matter involving a driver caught stealing milk packets. The police acted on our FIR, leading to the current situation," Kulange stated.
The incident has highlighted the delicate balance between maintaining operational integrity and addressing employee concerns in essential public services. As discussions continue, residents of both cities await resolution of the dispute to restore normal milk supply.
