Maharashtra: Control rooms set up in each district for hassle-free supply

PUNE: The state agriculture department has set up control rooms in each district to monitor the movement of vegetables during the ongoing national lockdown.
The control rooms will ensure that farmers are able to transport and sell their produce without any hassle and supply the commodities as per the demands of the bigger markets.
Over 35 control rooms have been established across the state and most of these units have already started functioning and are monitoring the supply of vegetables and their transport, the department said.
The control rooms’ staff have been told to work in coordination with the respective district administration and Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC). The farmers are told to get in touch with control rooms in case of disruptions, an official from the department said. The state government had already clarified that transport and sale of vegetables and fruits is allowed during the ongoing restrictions.
A senior official said farmers faced many problems in the initial days of lockdown while transporting their produce. The sudden cut-off also hampered the supply of commodities in bigger cities. The staff at the control rooms has now started collecting the details of farmers’ groups in their respective districts. These groups will get all the required assistance such as valid passes for transportation of goods, permits and NOCs in supplying commodities to district headquarters without any interruptions.