04 May,2011 08:34 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Following MiD DAY's report on the unit's dilapidated state, Milind Deora has written to the CM, asking him to intervene and restore the dairy to its former glory
MiD DAY's report on the dilapidated state of the Aarey Dairy unit at Worli Seaface has prompted South Mumbai MP Milind Deora to write to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, urging him to revamp the crumbling institution.
In the April 22 report ('Death trap at Aarey') MiD DAY had stated how the unit's crumbling fa ade posed a threat to its nearly 1,000 employees and to people living around it. The report had also exposed how the fund needed for the ailing unit's restoration and revamp was caught up in bureaucratic red tape.
Positive move: MP Milind Deora (left) has brought the plight of Aarey's
Worli dairy to the chief minister's notice. (Above) A concrete slab from
the building that crashed recently. file pics
In his letter to the CM, Deora, whose constituency includes Worli, has said, "The institution urgently needs upgradation of its obsolete machinery and equipment and enhancement of its production capacity. It also needs to redesign its strategy to improve its milk supply and distribution network."
"Also, a substantial corpus is urgently required to carry out structural repairs to the unit's staff quarters. Further, the institution faces an open threat from real estate developers who are eyeing its sprawling 13 hectares of prime land, including those of other dairies in Kurla and Goregaon," he stated.
Speaking to MiD DAY, Deora said, "The Aarey Dairy is something I have been seeing for a long time and people of my generation will understand the feelings of pride associated with it. I am grateful to your paper for highlighting the dilapidated condition of the dairy and, as an elected representative of the people, I have approached the chief minister seeking his intervention in restoring the unit to its former glory."
"I will meet the chief minister shortly to ensure that a permanent solution is found for this problem," he added.
"Milind Deora's intervention is a positive move and he should follow up the progress on this rigorously. The unit's problem of shortage of milk supply should also be addressed," said an official from the Worli unit.
Dairy Development Commissioner R D Shinde said, "Deora has brought the plight of Aarey to the CM's notice through his letter and we are hopeful that the outcome will be positive"
Shirish Virkar, general manager of Aarey's Worli unit, confirmed being marked on the letter written by Deora, but refused to comment further.
