In twin cities, there are more than 150 illicit dairies

More than 150 unauthorized dairies continue to operate in residential areas of Yamunanagar and Jagadhri, popularly referred to as the “twin cities,” despite public outcry.

These dairies have caused a variety of health and sanitation issues for the locals.

Although there have been several attempts by the Municipal Corporation, Yamunanagar-Jagadhri (MCYJ) to move dairy farms from urban areas to dairy complexes, the threat still exists.

“There is a dairy in our neighborhood that smells bad because of cow manure. Living in such conditions is hard and uncomfortable,” a colony member in Yamunanagar said.

The majority of dairy farmers, according to the locals, washed their cattle barns with water every day, and in the process, a lot of cow excrement was dumped into the drains, clogging the local sewage system.

Additionally, a few dairy farmers dumped cow manure on empty lots in their colony, which draws flies and mosquitoes. Locals demanded that the MCYJ move these dairies out of residential neighborhoods by taking some decisive action. On the fringes of the twin towns, in the villages of Aurangabad, Darwa, Kail, and Raipur, the state government has constructed four dairy facilities. The government has divided these dairy complexes into as many as 668 parcels.

Based on information from the Municipal Corporation of Yamunanagar-Jagadhri, these four dairy complexes are home to up to 214 dairies. There are around 5,400 cows on these dairies.

Still, more than 150 dairies, both large and small, are operated out of the twin cities’ residential neighborhoods.

The facilities were situated far away from cities, according to the dairy proprietors.

A dairy owner said that moving his business to a dairy complex significantly raised the cost of producing milk.

“My home and the dairy are currently situated on the same property. The dairy job is managed by the whole family together. The dairy complex will not allow for this. The cost of producing milk will thus go up,” he said.

While some individuals have purchased plots in dairy complexes, their dairies have not been moved there.

These individuals are being identified by the MCYJ authorities in order to take appropriate action. The MCYJ’s Municipal Commissioner, Ayush Sinha, said that the owners of these unapproved dairies will shortly begin receiving notifications.

“Within the next month, we will endeavor to relocate dairy farms from residential areas to dairy complexes,” he said.