KARACHI, Dec 28: Following the countrywide breakdown of law and order after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in Rawalpindi on Thursday, a serious milk supply crisis has emerged in Karachi with sources saying that millions of litres of the essential commodity are going to waste and if the situation is not remedied immediately, a disaster will be at hand.

Shaukat Mukhtar, Joint Secretary of the Karachi Dairy Farmers’ Association told Dawn that vehicles have been unable to collect milk from Landhi’s Cattle Colony since Thursday evening and since there are no cold storage facilities in the area, milk has started going bad and is being drained into nullahs.“Vehicles have been unable to pick up milk from Cattle Colony as all access has been blocked. Vehicles have been burnt on the Mehran Highway and the main road has been closed. If trucks attempt to leave, miscreants block the way and smash their windows. On Thursday, a truck carrying milk was burnt in Malir while the vandals made off with 50 cans of milk,” said Mr Mukhtar.

He appealed to the authorities to intervene and restore some semblance of order so that the city’s milk supply could be restored.

“The government should provide us security for the transport of this essential item as milk has run out in the city. Even milk packs are running out. The army has been patrolling in Malir. We request that they also start patrolling in Landhi to bring the situation under control. We also condemn this tragedy, but countless people, particularly small children, are being affected due to the unavailability of milk,” he added.

Haji Akhtar, President of the Dairy Farmers’ Association of Karachi, confirmed Mr Mukhtar’s claims and also pleaded for the safe transport of milk.

“Millions of litres of milk have gone to waste. There is no milk in the city. Enclosures in Cattle Colony are being raided by vandals while no officials have contacted us. We also express our solidarity with the nation over this great calamity, but please allow the safe transport of milk,” he said.

Hafiz Nisar Gaddi, a member of the Milk Retailers’ Association, told Dawn that his group had made contact with Karachi’s DCO and city nazim, who had both assured them that reinforcements were on the way.

Police absent

“There is no milk in Karachi. All our stocks ran out by Friday morning. We have phoned the DCO and the nazim and they have assured us that forces will be deployed for the safe transit of essential food items. There is also a great shortage of bread, eggs and vegetables in the market. The forces should be out on the roads. However, the police are nowhere to be seen,” he said.

When questioned if the police did anything to stop the looters and rioters from attacking milk trucks, Shaukat Mukhtar replied in the negative.

“The way the police has handled the situation is in front of you. Vehicles were being burnt in front of the Sukhan police station, yet the cops were absent from the scene,” he said.

Mr Mukhtar added that another crisis was looming as the animals’ fodder, which comes from the interior of Sindh and Punjab, was also not making it to Landhi’s Cattle Colony. “If this blockade continues for another day or two, we’ll have nothing to feed the animals,” he said.

Cattle Colony produces 65 per cent of Karachi’s milk, while about five million litres of milk are produced in the city daily. Animals have to be milked every 12 hours in accordance with their natural milking cycle, which means that milk is delivered every 12 hours.