Punjab milkman, Rajinder Singh.
The Gaon Bandh protest by some farmer unions has left several milkmen disgruntled after multiple incidents of violence and hooliganism meted out to them came to light.
Speaking to The Indian Express, some milkmen raised questiones over why they are being targeted when farmers themselves are supplying milk to them. They said that they are being allegedly hit in the stomach for no reason even though they never forced any farmer to supply them milk.
“Our work is to collect milk from villages and supply them to homes in cities. We are ferrying milk only after farmers are giving them to us. Is it our fault if majority of farmers are not supporting this bandh call? On the first day, all milkmen in Punjab were conveyed the decision that no one will force any farmer to give milk. But the protest failed to get support from majority farmers. And when these unions did not find a way to stop the farmers, they started targeting us. They snatched our containers and spilled milk on roads. Once we buy milk from farmers, it is our loss as we have to pay them anyway,” said Sohan Singh, president, Dodhi (milkman) Union, Punjab.
He added that in four days, in Bathinda aone, there has been a loss of 20 quintals milk and Rs 1 lakh to milkmen.
“Milkmen do not earn in lakhs like big dairy farmers. We just get Rs 3-5 commission margin per litre which converts to Rs 400-500 a day. Also, we are solely dependent on supplying milk. We do not have any other jobs. Most farmers on roads are not dairy farmers. Most of them are union leaders who are close to several politicians,” he added.
Rajinder Singh, a milkman from Mannwala village in Dhuri said that he does not own any land from where he can arrange an income to feed the family.
“Majority of milkmen in Punjab are from SC/ST category. Hardly any of us owns a piece of land. I supply 120 litres milk a day to Dhuri town after collecting it door to door from Mannwala. We get a monthly payment from homes but farmers have to be paid every 10 days. Of the Rs 500 earned in a day, 150 goes on fuel. Is this a protest or hooliganism? Where is law and order? Majority of dairy farmers are not supporting this protest and asking us to take milk from their homes. Those targeting us on roads are not real dairy farmers,” he said.
Mukhtyar Singh, president of Dodhi Union, Sangrur, said that he has incurred a loss of Rs 2,500 in four days. “We also informed police in advance that we are being stopped from doing our work. It is not our fault if farmers are still giving milk to us,” he said. He added at least 40 quintals of milk were spilled in Sangrur in the last four days.