An over 100-year-old practice of the Indian Army of running military farms to provide dairy needs to the force is finally being done away with. The Minister of Defence (MoD) has ordered that all 39 military farms in the country should shut shop within three months, sources said.
The proposal was pending for the last five years, and MoD has recently ordered for winding up of all the farms that were a British-era legacy being run since 1889.
Spread over 20,000 acre of land across the country, these military farms had become a liability for the force since they were occupying huge land that can be used for other purposes.
These were to be shut in a phased manner between 2012 and 2013, but resistant by several employees raising concerns over absorption became a hindrance. In a report the Qurtre Master General branch of the Army had recommended closure of these farms in 2012.
These farms producing housing cattle were located towns like Lucknow, Jabalpur, Kanpur, Allahabad, Jammu, Meerut, Ranikhet, Pathnkot among others that will now be shut.
"They were sitting on prime land occupying over 20,000 acres, and in today's date there is no utility of military farms. The land can be put to more purposeful use," said an army source.
The land will be handed over to the local military authority and as per needs of place it can be utilised for other purposes. The Army's requirements for land range from issues like housing for the force and other establishments that need to come up from time to time.
The military farms had a small cadre of 19 officers including civilians and a dozen from the army. The staff ranging between 1,500 and 2,000 has a majority of civilians working. Sources said there was resentment by staff in some of these farms as they did not want to be relocated.
With nearly 25,000 cattle in these farms relocating them and putting them to other use is still being finalised. MoD is in touch with the Ministry of Agriculture and Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries to work out a plan for the cattle.
The budget of nearly 300 crore for these farms can also be put to other needs of the army, sources said.
The army personnel posted here are from non-combatant roles. Sources said a plan to absorb the civilian staff is being worked out and the army employees will be put to other roles.
Sources said these military farms had also come under scanner for corruption recently. Other than dairy needs these farms also reared cattle, produced fodder and fertilizers.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing two cases of corruption alleging nonpayment of dues to contractors in military farms at Jammu and Nowshera.
