The regulatory directive, issued nearly three months ago in August by Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, required all dairy owners in the two complexes to self-fund and install water flow meters within a stringent 15-day period. The purpose of the mandate was to enable officials to accurately track and control water consumption, ensuring usage remained within prescribed environmental limits. Despite this blanket order, officials report that only a minimal number of dairy farmers have complied, exposing widespread defiance among the units.

This non-compliance carries significant environmental weight for the Indian dairy sector. The high-level committee found that these concentrated dairy hubs are both using and wasting large quantities of water, with their collective defiance directly impeding efforts to curb contamination in the Buddha Dariya river. For dairy producers and manufacturers, the failure to control water use and wastewater output has now transitioned from an operational issue to a serious regulatory and legal risk.

The enforcement challenge is compounded by the fact that most dairy unit owners rely on submersible pumps to extract groundwater, meaning the MC cannot simply cut off the municipal water supply as a compliance leverage tool. This technological reality has forced the civic body to move from administrative warnings to severe legal action. Superintending engineer Ekjot Singh confirmed that MC teams issued a final warning on Tuesday, signaling the complete end of their indulgence for non-compliant units.