Conversion of milk coops opposed

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 18. Trade union leaders and representatives of milk producers' unions here on Wednesday opposed conversion of milk producers' cooperatives and their union from the AP Cooperative Societies Act 1964 to the AP Mutually Aided Cooperative Societies Act, 1995, as it meant privatisation and thereby the liquidation of vast properties owned by the societies.

Mr. Ch. Prabhakar Reddy, general secretary, B22 INTUC, APDDC Staff and Workers Union, Mr.D.R.K.Prasad, president, Milk Producers Cooperative Society, Velivolu and convenor of Krishna District Milk Producers Cooperative Societies Welfare Association and Mr.N.L.N.Sastry, general secretary of B 1281 BMS AP Dairy Mazdoor Sangh, Hyderabad, addressed the press conference.

They said the 1995 Act was aimed at promoting private milk producers' interests and denying the workers and employees service benefits once the conversion took place. Accusing the officials of `being in a hurry to decimate the cooperatives', they said the case of Krishna District Milk Producers Cooperative Union Limited, Vijayawada, was a pointer.

Disregarding the statutory obligations on the part of the union like approaching the Registrar of Cooperatives before conversion, the general manager made a move to convert the union from the overview of APCS Act 64 to APMACS Act 95 thereby committing various irregularities, they said. The official had no powers to do so, they said. The general body notice dated April 14, 2001, was also illegal, they said.

In spite of several lapses and representation on those made, the authorities converted illegally 390 milk producers cooperative societies to APMACS Act and the general manager had also assumed the office of the election authority under the new act, they said, adding that the cooperatives could not thrive without utilising the assets, properties, vehicles and the other infrastructure belonging to the Government under their possession and as long as they continued to do so they could not be treated as self-reliant.

There would be similar attempts now and it would spell doom for the successful cooperatives and in turn it would also affect people's interest, they said.

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Section  : Southern States
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