Chennai: Madras high court was informed on Thursday that the demand among people for milk from vending machines as an alternative for milk supplied in plastic packets has doubled in Nilgiris and Kodaikanal where the project is implemented on pilot basis.A special bench of Justices N Sathish Kumar and G K Muthukumar directed Aavin, the state-owned dairy co-operative, to introduce more milk vending machines in Nilgiris and Kodaikanal. In Aug, the special bench directed Aavin to introduce the vending machines, which were in existence before milk was supplied in plastic packets, on a pilot basis in the two hill stations.Subsequently, Aavin installed automatic vending machines (AVMs), with a capacity of 200l each, for retail sale of milk in Ooty and Kodaikanal for phasing out milk packaged in plastic sachets. According to Aavin, AVM installed at Kodaikanal Hi-Tech Parlour, Poet Thiagarajar Salai, was opened on Aug 16 and about 40l is being sold through it each day, while the one at Uzhavar Santhai in Charing Cross, Ooty, was opened on Aug 17 and is selling 3-6l a day.On Thursday, when the plea came up for hearing, amicus curiae T Mohan informed the court that the demand for sale of milk through AVMs has doubled in the past few months in the hill stations.However, Aavin alleged drop in sales as private milk suppliers are still supplying milk in plastic packets of more than 3,000l a day. Recording the submission, the bench suo motu impleaded private milk suppliers including Arokya, Hatsun, Nandini and others as party respondents. “Once you ensure that the packaged milk is not available then people will not have any other choice but to buy from the vending machines,” the court observed.
