Mumbai, your milk, fruit, vegetable supplies may be hit from June 1

Mumbai city news: The strike has been chalked out in phases, and the organisers hope to garner support from across Maharashtra.

The supply of vegetables, milk and fruits in Mumbai may get affected from June 1 as farmers in western Maharashtra and Marathwada have resolved to go on strike. The organisers of the strike are a congregation of 38 farmers’ organisations, including the Shetkari Sanghatana, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, and the Baliraja Shetkari Sanghatana, among others.

The farmers said that they will ensure that no truck or vehicles ply out of the districts to the major cities. (HT File)

The strike has been chalked out in phases, and the organisers hope to garner support from across the state. In a meeting held on Wednesday, the organisers announced that the supply of the milk and vegetables from Nashik, Sangali, Solapur, Pune to Mumbai, Thane and other key cities will be cut off as part of the protest. They said that they will ensure that no truck or vehicles ply out of the districts to the major cities.

In an unprecedented move, farmers from 40 villages passed the resolution stating that they would go on strike in the gram sabha last month.

Read: Farmers’ front alleges Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Opposition leader tried to prevent their strike

A group representing the farmers from Ahmednagar district met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday and announced that the strike has been called off. The organisers, however, alleged that it was a move by the government to divide them. The leader of opposition in the state assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, was also present for the meeting. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar too has opposed the strike.

Organisers, however, have criticised the leaders for sparking the protest. “We will be staging a protest against Vikhe Patil by garlanding his effigy with vegetable and fruits. Ajit Pawar does not want the cooperatives supplying milk to get affected, and hence he has opposed it. We, however are firm on the call of the strike,” Jayajirao Suryavanshi, coordinator of the committee formed to lead the protest.