KARACHI, Aug 16: Sindh Chief Secretary K.B. Rind has described the Indus Dairy Development Project Sindh (IDDPS) as a welcome project through which citizens of Karachi, and later on other parts of the province, will be supplied high quality hygienic packed milk at a much cheaper price.

He was presiding over a meeting of the joint venture between Idara Kissan and the IDDPS. The IDDPS has been established for the revival of the Karachi milk plant.

The meeting also discussed issues relating to the KWSB, KESC, Sui Gas and other matters related to the release of funds.

The chief secretary asked the concerned departments to solve the IDDPS-related issues without any delay so that milk supply could be started by next month as per schedule.

The IDDPS has been set up at the milk plant building on 8 acres of land opposite Hasan Square. The milk plant was set up in 1965, but closed in 1980 because of various problems.

Sindh Governor Mohammadmian Soomro has issued a directive for the plant’s revival, and the IDDPS is part of that.

The project’s chief, Dr Zafar Altaf, told the meeting that milk will be marketed with the brand name of “Indus Hala Milk Pack.”

The project will have a production capacity of 25,000 litres of milk in eight hours, and the plant will operate 16 hours daily producing 50,000 litres.

For the purpose of milk procurement, collection points have been setup in Hyderabad, Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar districts, while Nawabshah and Naushahro Feroze will be included in the next stage.

The project also envisages a vaccination and nutrition programme for maintaining the health and food requirements of buffaloes.

The milk from the Karachi plant will be sold at Rs 22 per litre, as compared to other packed milk which is sold at Rs 30-32 per litre.

The chief secretary made queries about various aspects of the project and hoped that it would get a good response from the people.—APP