IT notices issued by the Income Tax Department to milk cooperative mandalis connected to SUMUL has become a major tug of war between the govt and the dairy cooperators in Gujarat.
These mandalis have been asked to pay 30 percent on the interest earned on their fixed deposit with the banks, according to IT notice.
Sumul is one of the 17 district unions which manufactures dairy products for Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).
SUMUL Dairy Chairman Rajesh Kumar Kantilal Pathak said “SUMUL Dairy will fight the case and bear all the expense without charging a farthing from Mandalis”, he said to Indian Cooperative on phone.
Pathak also said Income Tax Department issuing notices to milk cooperative mandalis that supply milk to lakhs of consumers through Sumul is unfair. “We intend knocking on the door of the Gujarat High Court”, Pathak vowed.
Pathak said ”when Manubhai A. Patel was the chairman of the Dairy in 2004 , tax notice had been issued to SUMUL Dairy asking it to pay interest earned on fixed deposits. We went to the Gujarat High Court and the court ruled in our favor”.
There are about 1200 cooperative milk mandalis in Surat and Tapi district which supply milk to SUMUL. Over 2 lakh milk farmers are its members.
It bears recall that income tax has issued notices to Pinjrat Seva Mandali, Koba Dudh Mandali and Kudiyana Dudh Utpadak Mandali, Vankal Dudh Mandli, Kamrej Kela Mandli, Angal dhara Dudh Mandli, Vehval Dudh Mandli.
Kudiyana Dudh Mandli has received a notice for Rs 3.1 lakh, Kola Dudh Mandli for Rs1.1 lakh, Pinjrat Dudh Mandli for Rs4.2 lakh, Vankal Dudh Mandli for Rs 21.22 lakh, Kamrej Kela Mandli for Rs31.12 lakh, Angal dhara Dudh Mandli for Rs10.11 lakh and Vehval Dudh Mandli for Rs2.25 lakh.
It is learnt that mandalis that have been served notices are supplying 1.5 lakh litre milk per day to SUMUL Dairy.
Sumul Dairy is procuring milk from Surat and Tapi worth 15 lakh liter every day and selling about 11 lakh litre per day besides making a variety of dairy products.
Readers would recall that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently inaugurated a fully automatic cattle feed plant of SUMUL Dairy at Bajipura village in Tapi District as well as an ice-cream plant. The event had received an extensive media coverage.
