The protest by dairy farmers for a hike in milk procurement price continued on the second day today, while railways chipped in to transport milk from Gujarat to Mumbai as agitators target supplies to cities by tankers.
Dairy farmers are staging protests in several parts of the state since yesterday, demanding a higher purchase price and a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for milk.
As part of the stir, protesters have been stopping tankers filled with milk and emptying them on roads.
In Satara district, two persons who were trying to stop vehicles carrying milk were arrested today, a police official said. The Satara district president of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna is among those arrested, they added.
As the stir continued, authorities moved to take action against protesters trying to disrupt milk supply to various cities.
Meanwhile, Western Railway said that "special permission" has been given to transport milk from Gujarat to Mumbai.
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"Keeping in view the agitation (by dairy farmers) to halt milk supply in Maharashtra, special permission has been given to transport 12 milk containers of 44,000 litres each, to Mumbai by the Ahmedabad -Mumbai Central passenger in the next few days," the Western Railway tweeted.
Three such containers reached Mumbai from Gujarat today, an official said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will hold a meeting in two days with the Leaders of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and Council, senior leaders of various parties and Shetti, whose Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana is spearheading the milk stir, dairy development minister Mahadev Jankar informed the Legislative Council today.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also said the Centre has decided to give 10 per cent incentive to boost export of dairy products and also considering distribution of milk through midday meal scheme and anganwadis.
Since yesterday, at least 13 offences were registered against protesters across the state and this figure may rise, police said today.
The offences were registered by the police in the districts of Pune, Osmanabad, Buldhana, Ahmednagar, Nashik Kolhapur, Sangli, Aurangabad and Solapur, an official said.
The Swambhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has asked farmers to stop milk supply to major cities till they get remunerative prices.
Shetti, along with a group of supporters, today visited the Dapchari check post on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border in adjoining Palghar district to prevent milk tankers from heading towards Mumbai, a local official said.