Milk Vita suffers production loss

State-run dairy farm Milk Vita has incurred a loss of an estimated Tk 50 lakh in the last couple of days due to disruption in production over irregularities in recruitment of workers.    
Production at Baghabari milk chilling plant and Dhaka dairy plant was disrupted as workers staged demonstrations there in the last two days, causing a total shortfall of 82,000 litres of pasteurised milk.
The average daily production of the farm is around 1.65 lakh litres.      
A seven-member scrutiny committee, led by Milk Vita Vice-chairman Md Shafiqur Rahman, indulged to irregularities and issued 540 appointment letters to workers, many of whom worked as daily casual labourers for less than three years, said factory officials on condition of anonymity.  
The committee bypassed the managing director, who is the chief executive of Milk Vita, though his final consent is a prerequisite for any recruitment.
Managing Director Muhammad Munir Chowdhury said the committee bypassed him and on April 16 issued appointment letters to workers, leaving out many who have worked for seven to eight       years.
“The appointment letters have been issued without any entry in the dispatch register, which is a gross violation of administrative rules. I have seized the register for investigation,” he added.    
The deserving workers staged demonstrations and complained that financial transactions were behind the dubious recruitments, mentioned Munir.    
The MD has formed an investigation committee to probe the alleged anomalies in the recruitment of workers and asked the workers to return to work.   
Shafiqur Rahman, however, claimed that no irregularities occurred in the recruitment process as the appointment was endorsed by Moshiur Rahman Ranga, state minister for LGRD.